Turning Point
by EmotionlessNightmare
Summary: Set immediately following the events of S2E6 and parts of S2E7, Princess Eleanor comes to terms with the fact that pushing Jasper Frost out of her life wasn't as easy as she thought. Sometimes, giving someone a second chance is worth the risk.
1. Prologue

Eleanor lowered her arm, and James Bay's words came to an abrupt halt as she attempted to shroud herself in a rare moment of silence.

But this was the palace, and nothing was ever silent. She couldn't recall the last time it was, if ever.

Her anxiety picked up again as she heard the telltale _click click click_ of heels on the floor, coming closer. She'd lived there long enough to know who that sound in particular belonged to.

Any opportunity given to her mother to let her know that she had fucked up, yet again, was not missed.

What had she told her? _When you succeed, the monarchy succeeds._

Damn the monarchy. Damn it to hell.

She turned the cool stone over in her fingers, a dead weight in her hands; a metaphor of her life. As much as she didn't want to admit it, her mother was right. She contributed nothing. A college dropout. A serial partier. She really was just a bitch with money and power.

"Princess?"

She flinched. Two security guards cautiously entered the room. She knew what they were after. She wordlessly held up her arm, and dropped the offending diamond into an outstretched gloved hand without further acknowledgement. She never wanted to see it again.

Something moved in her peripheral vision; she glanced sideways, barely moving her head. Eleanor's breath hitched in her throat as she saw _him_ standing in the shadows, his expression just as tortured as hers. _Why had he come back? Was there something else they decided that they wanted from her, since she had given up her grandmother's earnings so freely?_

Eleanor didn't have the will to get up and press the panic button on him. Again.

She turned back to staring at the intricate designs on the ceiling, designed by King Something or Other. Her father had liked this room. It had a beautiful view of London. Mandy had ruined that for her, too. She'd never be able to look at this room the same way again. Her memories of her ninth birthday were too, tarnished.

"Eleanor." Her mother said softly, leaning against the bannister. She refused to look at her, to see her look smug satisfaction across her botoxed face. Eleanor gripped the sides of the dodge'um, still slippery from the sprinklers. "Eleanor," she repeated.

"Go away," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to your party," The Queen said carefully, slowly walking into the room.

"Don't," she said sharply, her voice shaking slightly.

"What happened?" She asked, sitting on the edge of the car, gently stroking her long, wet hair.

Eleanor gulped in mouthfuls of air. It had been nearly three months since she had had a panic attack that bad. There had only been one person who had been able to bring her back down from it, and she was currently pretending that he didn't exist on the other side of the room. "She stole my earrings. The ones Gram gave me for my birthday. She wanted more, but Jasper stopped her," she admitted, her eyes fluttering shut as if it physically pained her to say his name.

The Queen's eyes flickered to the blonde bodyguard across the room, whose eyes were firmly locked on his shoes.

"I suppose you better go shag him as a thank you, then," she snapped suddenly, taking advantage of her silence and pulled away, breaking any moment that her mother was attempting to have with her. The Queen's jaw dropped.

Eleanor took the opportunity to rise on shaky legs, and stumbled. Jasper suddenly came to life and sprang forward, his arms easily sliding around her waist as she fell toward the marble tile. She wanted to tell him to get his hands off of her, that he could go to hell, and take her mother with him. But she was so, so tired.

"Come on, Princess." He murmured as he lifted her into his arms, and cradled her against his chest. She lay against him, her eyes closed as she breathed in his familiar musky scent of soap and sandalwood. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had missed the smell of him in her bed. It had been the one constant thing in her life for six months, regardless of how fucked up their _thing_ was.

"Mr. Frost," she heard James acknowledge. They must be at her room.

"Mr. Hill," he muttered as James bustled to open her doors for them. She kept her eyes shut, praying that he would just think her passed out instead of incredibly broken. James Hill had a kind soul, and she was likely to ruin it. Just like she ruined everything else.

The doors shut behind them and he stood holding her, in the threshold of her bedroom.

"You need to get out of that dress. You'll get sick," he whispered. "I know you're not asleep, Eleanor."

Her eyes fluttered open to find his intense blue gaze locked on hers, his expression unreadable.

"I don't want to stay here," she admitted as he set her down. She curled up in the corner of her narrow sofa, drawing her legs to her chest. "Not tonight."

"Do you want me to tell them to make you up another room?" He asked carefully, stepping back toward the door. She flinched, and shook her head.

"Why did you come back?" She demanded softly, ignoring his question. Jasper sucked in a breath.

"I haven't been about that con for a very long time. _Samantha_ came here because I fell silent," he admitted, his tone changing to one of desperation with every word. "You need to believe me."

"That's not what I asked you, Jasper," she said harshly as she slowly stood and walked to her fake armoire and pulled it open. "Don't play games with me. I am so sick of your games!"

He followed her, cautiously, as she entered. He let out a sigh of relief as she went into the bathroom and slammed the door.

"I followed her to get your earrings back, not because I was leaving with her," he called, his hand slipped into his pocket, his fingers wrapping around the cool diamonds inside.

Eleanor wiped her face clean of make-up, and stared at her reflection as she mulled over Jasper's words. She pushed her wet, straw like hair out of her face and pulled the door open to find him leaning against the doorframe to her closet. She watched as he slowly pulled his fist out of his pocket, and walked toward her, his expression full of determination. For the second time that night, he reached for her hand, and deposited a handful of diamonds into her palm.

Jasper's fingers lightly caressed hers as she stared at her earrings. Eleanor had been terrified to tell Dutchie that she had lost them. She would be disappointed, but would have understood. She was seemingly sympathetic to her granddaughter, unlike her mother, who opted to use her vices against her.

"Thank you," she whispered, her fingers loosely closing around them.

"I tried to warn you," he reluctantly pulled his hand back to his side.

Of course he had. Asking her incessantly about how much she knew about Mandy and what she was doing, spending so much time at the palace. She had passed it off as him being jealous. Why would he care?

"I'm sorry." The words fell from her lips as she turned to her jewelry case and carefully locked them safely inside. She placed her palms flat against the bleached wood and bowed her head, a million and one emotions coursing through her.

Eleanor felt him approach her as opposed to hearing it. He moved too stealthily for his own good.

"I miss you," he stated.

"I know," she replied, attempting to keep her tone neutral. _I miss you, too._

Much like the night she had him arrested, his hand slid around her waist, his nose was in her hair, breathing _her_ in. His fingers wrapped loosely around her wrist. "If you want out, come with me."

"You'll tell me everything, yes?" She stated. It wasn't a question.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Go wait out there," she said simply. He pulled away from her and she slipped out of her dress and wet knickers, leaving them in a pile in the middle of the floor. She quickly dressed in a fresh pair and a matching bra, a black lace set he had the privilege of seeing her in once before. Eleanor quickly pulled on a set of leggings and an old black sweater and a ball cap, before grabbing her bag. She left her mobile on the table, on purpose. She doubted that anyone would notice her gone, anyway. She stepped out and closed the armoire behind her.

Jasper stood and eyed her cautiously, as if he couldn't believe she had agreed to come with him so easily.

"Well?" She said haughtily.

"Let's go," he said, regaining his composure. Eleanor pulled open the door.

"You can go, Mr. Hill." she said, her tone taking on an authoritative edge. "I'm leaving with Jasper."

He eyed Jasper, who stood behind her protectively. He nodded, a small smile playing on his thin lips. "Be safe, Princess. Happy Birthday."

She nodded. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was safest with him. Jasper led her to the service entrance, and then down into the tunnels. She trailed wordlessly behind him as he entered the security office. Harry, another guard, lept up in surprise as she entered and acknowledged her accordingly. Jasper pulled open his locker, and extracted a black duffle bag and nodded to the door. Eleanor averted her eyes as she left, Jasper securing the door behind them.

"We'll have to take the tube," he announced.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, she found herself wedged between the wall of the train and Jasper's shoulder. He had his arm draped over the back of her seat protectively as the Central Line brought them closer to their destination. Jasper seemed to know where they were heading, but had yet to share that vital piece of information with her. She looked out the window as advertisements whizzed by. There were others on the train, but they paid no attention to them; they wouldn't expect their Princess to be on the tube at 3 am.

"My dad used to bring Liam, Robert, and I on the trains when we were kids," she said finally. "When my mum went on her 'trips'. He'd dress us all in casual clothes and wear a hat. He wanted us to know what it was like to live in the city. To experience what the people experienced," she whispered. "He wanted us to be grounded. Mum wanted us to believe we were demigods."

"Mile End," the disembodied female voice interrupted her. Jasper rose to his feet and stepped aside, allowing her to exit their row. He walked beside her, and slipped his hand in hers. Eleanor tensed.

"Follow me," he whispered, leading her up the stone staircase and into the crisp fall air. He pulled her along through a park, and narrow side streets before halting in front of a basement flat. He led her down the small set of steps and fished a set of keys out of his pocket as it dawned on her where he had brought her.

His home.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside and turned on the lights. It was small. Did they not pay him enough? Not that she knew what the prices of flats were, anyway. She would never need to live outside of a state-sponsored home.

Jasper stepped aside, his expression unreadable as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes flitted down the narrow hall to the small galley kitchen, and the exposed bathroom at the end of it.

"I don't spend much time here," he explained. "I stay in the staff quarters. It's easier."

She nodded, but said nothing as she walked down the hall, continuing her inspection. To her right, a small sitting area with a couch, desk, laptop, and television. The next room had a queen sized bed jammed in with a dresser, and a clothes rack filled with black fitted suits. There were no pictures on the walls. Nothing about this place said 'Jasper Frost'.

"It's fine," said Eleanor as she entered his bedroom and stood at the threshold, her arms crossed over her chest. "Why did you go and get my earrings?"

"Because they were important to you," he answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why do you keep coming back after I've repeatedly told you that you disgust me, and I want you nowhere near me?" Eleanor continued as she entered the bedroom and stood with her back to him in front of the window. "Nobody has ever been that annoyingly persistent."

"I care about you. I want to make sure you're protected. We spent a lot of time together-"

"And you got attached," she sighed, her fingers running over the dusty window sil. She blew the dust off of her fingertips.

"I grew up in low income trailer parks outside of Las Vegas," Jasper said finally. Eleanor closed her eyes and nodded for him to continue. "My parents were- are- stupid crooks. I transferred schools so many times because they would get in some shit and get us kicked out. They would pull me from school to use as part of their cons to get money. Small jobs.

"My mother liked to go to churches and pull the 'poor single mother' card. We'd get money and food that way. Sometimes they'd go to the city for days and leave me home alone. I would come up with elaborate lies to tell my teachers why I didn't have proper lunches or money for field trips. They believed me. I was conning them before I even realized what I was doing.

"By high school, it was easier for me to lie about my age. My parents got involved in some shit in Vegas with the mafia. They were dirty with their cards, and got caught. They both had records, so it wasn't easy for them to just go and get jobs. They owed people money, and lots of it. That's when I met Samantha. She was in the same situation as I was. We wanted to be better. I needed to prove to them that I was smarter at it than my dad was. So I took a job doing security in the casinos. You wouldn't believe how many older ladies..."

Eleanor sucked in her breath. She waved her hand, gesturing for him to continue.

"It was so easy to con them out of money. It became an addiction. We started going for more and more. Firearms. Cars. Jewelry. It became a game to us. But it got tiring. For me, anyway. She wanted more. I said I wanted to do one more, one more good one, and that's it. I liked having a stable job and being able to support myself.

"We saw a documentary one night on television about the diamond. We decided that that was it. That was what we were going after. So I got my visa requirements in order and managed to get hired doing security in the palace. Somehow, I was assigned to you. It seemed everything was falling into place. Until I realized that you weren't the stuck up bitch everyone made you out to be. I got to know you... And I couldn't do it. Not to you. Not to Liam. Not your dad. We had been together for a month and a half when I decided that I couldn't do it. I ignored her. She got frustrated and came here. You know the rest."

"Why did you lie about the tape for so long?"

"I was afraid I'd lose you."

"That's not an excuse. I'd appreciate your honesty, Jasper. My whole life, people have been telling me what I want to hear because of who I am. My mother is a master manipulator. And I know how to work that to my advantage. You know this, yes?" She explained, turning to face him. He couldn't read the expression on her face; he thought he had been the master at building walls until he met her. All he could do was nod. "And then there's you. You blackmailed me, you slept with my mother; you convinced my brother to get you rehired. And you still think you deserve a piece of my time. I've told you time after time that I do not want to see you, Jasper."

"I care-"

"You care about me, yes. I heard you. You have a funny way of showing it!" Her voice seemed to gain an octave with each word that fell from her lips. He could tell that she was getting angry.

Jasper pushed himself off of the wall and propelled himself toward her. He roughly cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.

"I would spend every day making it up to you, if you would let me," he said quietly. "I know I've hurt you, Eleanor. I don't deserve your time, you're right. But I'm selfish. I'd give up everything if it meant having a second chance with you."

"As what? My bodyguard?" She shot him a deathly glare.

"Bodyguard with benefits," he reasoned, "since you won't admit that I was your boyfriend."

"You weren't my boyfriend. Boyfriends don't blackmail and sleep with their girlfriend's mothers! You were going to rob me, Jasper!"

"I told you that I was sorry!" He exclaimed, letting her go. He turned away and knotted his hands in his hair in an attempt at keeping himself calm. This was not going in the direction he wanted.

"Sorry doesn't fix it," she said tiredly as she pulled off her ball cap and dropped onto his bed and exhaled loudly. It was a lot harder than what she was used to. Eleanor didn't think she had ever been in a 'normal' home before, now that she had thought of it. _Is this what regular people slept on? This lump?_

"Regardless of what was going on between us, Jasper, I trusted you, briefly. You know I have trust issues. Look at who my mother is. My uncle."

"I haven't lied to you since," he answered passionately as he shrugged out of his suit jacket and carefully hung it up on the rack by the bed. "I've made mistakes. And I want to make it up to you. You need to tell me what I have to do. I..."

She was silent behind him.

"I love you," he said with ease, as if they were discussing the weather.

Eleanor's eyes widened as he then turned to face her, his expression impassive.

"I have nothing to offer you. I'm an American. I have some money, but not enough to keep you in the lifestyle you're used to. I wouldn't expect you to want to live _here_." He gestured to his tiny flat.

"I'm not saying it back," she announced as he stood at the foot of his bed.

"I don't expect you to," he said, his eyes dark as he approached her. "You wanted me to tell you the truth. That was it."

She watched him approach her. Eleanor knew what his goal was; he had looked at her _that way_ dozens of times before.

"I ought to have you arrested."

"But you won't," he replied, placing his knee on the bed. She reclined back on her elbows, keeping her thin legs pressed together as he slowly moved toward her.

Eleanor arched a solitary eyebrow. A challenge.

He lay his body next to hers, and leaned forward and grabbed her chin with his free hand, forcing her to look at him.

"You should be in jail for everything that you've done," she continued, her voice just above a whisper. Jasper's blue eyes bore into hers intently.

"You're right, Princess," he murmured. "As should you for all the drugs in your possession."

"I happen to have diplomatic immunity," she replied pointedly. "I know my rights."

"I don't doubt that you do." Jasper's fingers ghosted over her her jawline before wrapping around her neck behind her hair. "I love you, Eleanor. If you don't believe anything else I say, believe that."

She said nothing, her expression gave no indication that she might reciprocate his feelings in the slightest.

She closed her eyes as his scent consumed her once more. As much as she didn't want to admit it, it _was_ comforting. Jasper's nose grazed her cheek; his lips hovering by the corner of her mouth as he smoothly adjusted his position so that he was hovering over her, silently offering her one last chance to push him away. To tell him no.

She didn't move from her position. She did nothing.

His lips ghosted softly over hers; a harsh contrast to their previous interactions. She still didn't push him away; instead she parted her lips just the barest amount. It was the only invitation he needed as he pressed his mouth more firmly to hers, his tongue easing into her mouth to tangle and tease with her own.

Jasper preferred not to think about how the Princess had honed her talents. He preferred to think that she would extend him the same curtesy.

She slowly laid back on his bed, pulling him with her. Eleanor preferred to be in control; there wasn't many aspects of her life that allowed her the privilege. Jasper always fought her for dominance; it made their sex so much more better. Now, it was different. They weren't as angry with each other.

This was her way of letting him know that she would give him one more chance. He wasn't about to fuck it up.

His hands moved fluidly down her body before resting on her hips, roughly pulling her flush against him. He was desperate to feel her skin again. It had been over three months since he had last been with her. He slipped his fingers under the fabric of her jumper, the feel of her setting him on fire. Jasper pulled away lifting her jumper in the process.

His breath audibly hitched in his throat; she always had the best lingerie. Eleanor smirked.

"My favourite pair, you know."

"Mm mm," she groaned, gripping his shoulders as he peppered kisses down the soft column of her neck and across her collarbone, her eyes rolling back into her head.


	2. True is it that we have seen better days

Eleanor woke disoriented to her surroundings, naked, and alone; the sound of the shower running somewhere in the flat had roused her from her sleep. The Princess rolled onto her back and stretched; feeling the spot next to her was still slightly warm- he hadn't been gone long.

The sun was shining brightly through the window. Too bright, really. She slumped back in the pillows, pulling the duvet up over her chest to her chin. He had seen her naked dozens of times, and yet, this time seemed different. Jasper never left her alone before this. She was usually the first to wake, and generally wasted no time kicking him out of her room before any morning romance could occur.

Eleanor always made sure he was gone before the maids brought her her morning tea.

She had no authority here.

"Good morning, baby," Jasper announced smoothly, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed against his bare chest; his towel was slung dangerously low on his hips.

"Hey," she replied, locking eyes with him.

"We'll have to get back to the palace," he sighed. "I still have to work."

"You babysit my brother," she retorted. "Pass me your mobile." She demanded, her arm jutting out as she sat up.

Jasper arched an eyebrow, but didn't budge from his spot by the door.

"Now, Jasper!" She flexed her hand in a 'gimme' motion. He swiped his phone from the dresser, unlocked it, and pressed it into her outstretched hand.

She dialled a series of numbers, and pressed it to her ear, her jaw set in annoyance.

 _"Frost, you're late. The Prince has an appearance at a charity event_ -" Ted Pryce clipped before she could answer.

"This isn't Jasper," she drawled into the phone, inspecting her nails.

"Your Highness-"

"Jasper is to be reassigned to me for the day, and Liam will have James."

"With all due respect, Princess, we have protocols-"

"Did you hear me, Ted?" She snapped. "I didn't open an invitation for discussion. James is to accompany Liam to his appearance. Jasper Frost is with me." She ended the call without another word and held it back for him to take.

"Get dressed," he ordered, pulling open his chest of drawers and dropped his towel.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm assuming you want breakfast, and there isn't any here," he quipped. "I told you last night I rarely stay here. We're going out to eat."

Her jaw dropped as he dressed in a pair of jeans and a black knit jumper. "Right," she muttered, reaching for her knickers and easily slid them up her legs, fully aware that he was watching her every move.

"Eleanor?"

She pulled her hair out of her sweater and turned to face him.

"Happy birthday," he said softly, his hand resting on her cheek. "You look beautiful. Just like this."

"Thank you," she whispered, the smallest hint of a smile gracing her features. Jasper cautiously placed his lips to her forehead.

"You'll have to wear your hat," he said, picking up her cap off of the dresser and carefully placed it on her head.

"I look a fright!" She exclaimed, catching her appearance in the mirror on the wall. Her hair was the equivalent to a greasy haystack, thanks to the sprinklers from the previous night.

"You're fine," he replied, pulling her along. "Come on."

Eleanor nodded, her expression clearly disgruntled, but allowed him to pull her down the hall. He grabbed a pair of aviator sunglasses off of the small table in the hall and handed them to her without a word. She knew him well enough to know what he was trying to convey- Jasper didn't want her recognized, not if he could help it.

The last time she had been out and about on the streets of London was with Mandy. She tensed slightly at the memory. She was still jilted that she had been able to take advantage of her so easily. Naturally, Jasper had noticed and promptly frowned. He was more in tune with her than she wanted to own up to.

"Where are we going?" She demanded as he slid his own glasses over his eyes and led her down the street. Eleanor's eyes swept over the homes in the area; so different than what she was used to. She never had a reason to go to the residential areas of London.

Jasper said nothing as he pushed her along, his hand placed firmly in the small of her back.

"Jasper, I swear-"

"We're here," he interrupted. Eleanor looked up to see a small, inconspicuous restaurant. She pressed her lips firmly together and opened the door.

"Hello-" the middle age woman began, but froze as her eyes landed on her. "Your Hi-"

"Please don't," she blurted out as Jasper stepped in front of her protectively. "We just want breakfast."

"Of- of course," she stuttered, her jaw still hanging open. Clearly she hadn't expected to be serving royalty that morning.

"That table in the back, away from the window. Please." Jasper inquired.

"You _are_ the master of disguise, yes?" Eleanor said dryly as she sat in the offered seat, her back to the rest of the restaurant. The woman placed a menu in front of her with shaky hands. She looked up, her expression easily shifting from disdain to kindness. "Please, don't be nervous."

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "Can I get you anything?"

"Just tea for now, please. Milk, not cream," she instructed. "We'll have a look," she gestured to the menus.

The woman nodded, her cheeks flaming as she rushed away to the kitchen.

Eleanor consciously pulled her cap lower over her eyes and looked down at the menu, fully aware that Jasper's eyes were on her.

"What?" She said irritably. All she saw were rashers, eggs, and pancakes piled high on the same plate. She was done.

"Is this fine?" He asked cautiously, gesturing to their small, generic wooden table.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Her voice was rich with confusion.

"The first day I met you, you dragged me to the palace wine cellar and stole several bottles of wine from the 1940's. For our first date I take you to a random restaurant in Mile End."

"Who said this is a date?" said Eleanor, arching an eyebrow. Jasper's face remained impassively smug as their waitress returned, and placed two mugs of steaming tea in front of them, and a small pitcher of fresh milk.

"If there is anything specific-" she began, speaking directly to Eleanor, who began shaking her head immediately.

"No. This has all my favourite things," she said brightly, pointing to a large breakfast plate on the page. "I would like my eggs scrambled with cheese, if that's alright. And orange juice."

"Of course," she murmured, writing every word down on her notepad. She turned to Jasper expectantly, smiling nervously.

"Plate three, eggs soft poached. Orange juice for me as well," he replied, his English accent turned on, and handed her their menus as Eleanor fixed herself her tea. She could hear Jasper's phone vibrating continuously in his pocket.

"I can hear your mobile," she said quietly. "I'll make sure that there aren't any issues when we return to the palace."

"Eleanor..." He began, resting his elbows on the table and raked his hands through his hair before resting on the back of his neck. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs, looking at him expectantly.

While he still hasn't regained her trust, she knew that she was safe with him. She would be able to leave the palace without detail if he were with her again. Eleanor made a mental note to speak with Liam about that. She wouldn't be able to have him back as her detail, nor did she want him to be. She could be civil. And yet, she wouldn't call Jasper Frost her boyfriend to his face.

She had slept with him yes, but they still had a long way to go.

"Would you ever go back?" Eleanor asked suddenly, locking her gaze intently with his. "To Las Vegas?"

Jasper dropped his face into his hands and shook his head. "No." He said firmly.

"But your family-"

"-I've barely spoken to my family since I moved here."

"They must know you're in the palace."

He eyed the other patrons, and shook his head again in warning. They could discuss the mess that was his family later. Jasper suddenly leaned back in his seat and straightened up. Eleanor frowned and looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see Ted Pryce glaring at them, instead the waitress strode toward them, beaming.

"Happy birthday, Princess," she whispered, placing the large plate laden with food in front of her.

Eleanor smiled widely. "I cannot wait to tuck into this. It looks amazing!" She said, eagerly picking up her fork and speared a rasher of bacon. "They never let me eat like this. Fruit and porridge. You've seen it."

"What?" Jasper exclaimed as he cut into his Eggs Benedict, waving the waitress away. It clearly hadn't occurred to him that the Princess might have dietary restrictions.

"Can't have me getting fat now, can they?" She said, a bigger edge evident in her voice.

Eleanor was aware of his eyes on her as she ate. She couldn't remember the last time that she had had a breakfast so good. Or so filling. When her mother was gone, her father specifically requested full English breakfasts for them. When Robert was home, they got pancakes. Her smile faltered slightly at the memory.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, setting his fork down.

She nodded, and resumed shovelling her eggs in her mouth.

"Eight missed calls," Jasper groaned, leaning back in his seat as he stared at the screen and stood. "I'm calling for a car. I'll be right back. Don't move.."

She dropped her fork onto the plate unceremoniously as he left her alone at the table, his mobile pressed to his ear. Eleanor crossed her arms and gazed out the window, watching him pace on the sidewalk outside.

She could tell by the look on his face that he was irritated by something.

Apparently removing her from the palace without telling anyone was more trouble than what it's worth.

He came back inside, withdrew a few bills from his wallet, and passed them to their waitress and beckoned her to follow. She gracefully rose to her feet and met him at the entrance as a black Jaguar pulled up in front of her. Jasper pulled open the door, and she slid into the back. He got into the front.

"The Queen is requesting you upon your return to the Palace, Your Highness," Jasper said tightly, not turning.

Eleanor remained silent, staring blankly out the window, her arms folded across her chest. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting out of that day- _certainly not a tender moment with Jasper Frost_ \- nor had she wanted an audience with The Queen.

"Princess-" They had arrived back at the palace.

She had pushed the door open herself before he could finish his sentence. She was halfway across the courtyard before he caught up with her.

"Eleanor-" he began, but she held up her hand, effectively silencing him. He grabbed her arm, and pulled her behind a stone pillar. "Don't start this. Don't shut me out again. They demanded I bring you back here. I can't go against direct orders."

"I know you can't," she wrenched her arm free from his grasp. "But I can. Nothing has changed, do you understand me?"

"Eleanor! Where in the hell have you been?"

She stepped away from Jasper as if she had been burned. She didn't have to look at him to know that his deep blue eyes were swimming with hurt and confusion. His face may be stoic, but his eyes had always given away his true emotion.

"I went out last night, mother," she replied, following her back into the palace.

"I wanted to check in with you. You seemed awfully upset last night," she explained as they headed toward her room.

"I'm fine. Go away."

"It's your birthday," she continued, falling in step with her.

"Woo!" She said sarcastically, pushing open the doors to her bedroom.

"I thought you might like to see Charlie Jones today."

Eleanor stopped dead in her tracks.

* * *

"You left with Jasper Frost last night, did you not?" Helena asked cautiously, breaking their silence as they rode through the palace gardens.

"Why, are you jealous?" Eleanor quipped, looking straight ahead.

"I never apologized for that, and I'm sorry," she continued.

Eleanor remained silent.

"It was me who initiated it," she continued.

"You forced his hand," her voice just above a whisper.

"I see the way that man looks at you, Eleanor. He cares for you. Deeply."

"I know how he feels about me."

"And yet you won't let him in."

"Why should I? He's just the help."

"You cared enough to leave to visit his flat last night. On public transportation, no less."

"I was drunk."

"I don't think you were, darling. I don't know what happened between you and that girl- nothing good, I suspect- but you knew he'd take care of you. That speaks volumes, Eleanor."

"You know nothing. If there were anything- you ruined it, mother. You know I have trust issues. I don't know why I left with him last night, alright? He doesn't want me. He wants what I am. Just like everyone else."

"Eleanor that is simply not true! He loves you, I can see it plain as day on his face. And I know you care for him too!" Helena exclaimed, halting their horses and swiftly disembarked. She beckoned for her security detail to come and take their horses; it was time to have a serious talk with her daughter. One she had been avoiding for far too long.

The Queen arched a solitary eyebrow at her daughter, and carefully took hold of Charlie's reigns, allowing her to safely climb off. Eleanor reluctantly got off of her horse, and waved them off, allowing her mother to lead her to the docks by the lake.

The palace grounds were expansive; and she couldn't remember the last time she had allowed herself time outside of it's walls to get lost in them, much like she had as a child.

"Why do you suddenly care about Jasper and I?" She demanded, taking a seat on one of the benches along the water's edge.

"I want you to be happy," the Queen said quietly, reaching for her daughter's hand.

"He's not titled," Eleanor reminded her flatly. "He's an American."

"That's never stopped anyone in this family before, Eleanor. I wasn't titled when I married Simon. He'll become a Duke by marrying you."

"I'm not marrying Jasper, mum." She groaned.

"Give him a second chance." She said finally, her voice laced with defeat as she released her daughter's hands. " Now shut up, Princess. I'm going to tell you a story."

With that, she launched into the tragic tale of how exactly her affair with Captain Alastair Lacey came to be.

* * *

Like many times previous, Eleanor found herself alone in the throne room, a thin, unlit joint dangled loosely from her fingers as she sat in the Queen Consort's throne.

The shock from her earlier conversation with her mother was finally wearing off. She had to keep her heart protected, she had reasoned with herself. She had a momentary slip last night with Jasper. She was venerable. He was there.

" _You love him, too_ ," her mother had said, matter-of-factly. Eleanor denied it venomously.

The first time she had slept with him, she had known, and it frightened her. He held her differently from all the others. Despite her drunken, drug fuelled haze, she knew there was something different about her new bodyguard. He held her afterward. No one ever did. Beck wasn't the after-sex cuddling type.

It was then she realized that she had to get rid of him.

But of course, he was one step ahead of her, feigning a sex tape so he could keep his job. So they could keep carrying on with whatever was growing between them. To get that fucking diamond.

 _It was only a matter of time before he turned up_ , she thought to herself as she heard his footsteps echoing in the service hall.

He had changed from his casual clothing into his uniform. She had changed into a simple black shift dress, and was barefoot. They stared at each other as he slowly approached her.

Jasper did something he had never done before- he bowed to her.

"Your majesty," he stuttered.

Eleanor rolled her eyes and threw her joint at him, hitting him in the shoulder.

"We need to talk," he sighed.

"Take a seat," she gestured to the King's throne next to her.

"Is that legal?" He asked, slowly climbing the steps and loosened his tie.

"Who's going to tell?" She replied, swinging her legs over the golden armrest, shifting her body to face him, careful to keep her legs firmly shut.

"How was your day with your mother?"

Eleanor laughed darkly, throwing her head back. "Did you know she fell in love with the help? On her family's farm? They were engaged. He couldn't afford to give her a diamond, so she picked a stone out of a river bed, and was going to have it set in an engagement band."

Jasper straightened in his seat, his Adam's Apple bobbing in his throat.

"My mother seemed to have had an epiphany, you see. _She_ seems to think that I ought to give you a second chance," she studied his expression. Much like she, he had been taught at an early age not to give anything away.

"And?"

"You're going to take me to Las Vegas and prove to me that you're not lying," she announced, swinging her legs back around and stood. Eleanor stepped in front of him, her expression serious. He boldly placed his hands on her hips, pulling her to stand between his legs.

"I'll show you everything," he breathed. "Anything you want."

"If you want me to trust you," she continued, placing her hands on his shoulders, keeping him at a distance, "you won't fuck this up. No more games, Jasper. I can't take it anymore. I can't. There will be no detail coming with us. Just you and I."

"Is that what you want?" His hands came around her, and landed dangerously close to her backside.

Eleanor looked him straight in the eye and nodded. "We leave in the morning. I suggest you go and pack your things." She walked away, leaving him alone in the throne room.


	3. No legacy is so rich as honesty

A/N: I'm feeling generous in the aftermath of tonight's episode, and my fingers are crossed for good things to come for Jasper and Eleanor. My heart was in my chest for the whole hour.

Thank you all so much for your kind reviews thus far!

* * *

Four hours later, she was in bed, on the cusp of sleep when her door creaked open. She lifted her head slightly to see Jasper lean his suitcase against her end table and close the doors behind him.

He peeled off his jacket, t shirt, shoes, and jeans before slowly making his way to her bed. He pulled down the blankets on the right side and slid in next to her.

"Hey," he said softly, reaching for her. She allowed herself to be moved into his embrace, settling her head on his chest. "I've missed sleeping here. With you."

"Why did you come here?" She whispered.

"I couldn't sleep in the staff quarters. Not tonight. Not now," his fingers wove through her hair, gently massaging her scalp. Her fingers gripped his shoulder.

She reached up and pulled his face to hers. Jasper rolled her onto her back, his hand moving slowly down her torso, moving to cup her behind; pressing his hips into hers.

"I need you, baby," he breathed. She arched her back against him, exposing the tender flesh of her neck to his lips and he made quick work to press hot, wet kisses to the exposed column of her throat, his free hand gripping the back of her head firmly.

He had known her for long enough to know what she liked.

His hands slipped under the cool fabric of her t-shirt, seeking out the waistband of her knickers. The threat of her pushing him away was always constant in his mind, but she hadn't said no last night. Jasper pushed the blankets off of them and slowly dragged her shorts and down her legs and tossed them over his shoulder into the darkness of her room. He removed her t shirt next, leaving her gloriously naked before him, her pale skin glowing in the beads of light shining in through the thick drapes.

Eleanor made quick work to reach for his boxer briefs with her feet, and pushed them down his narrow waist. Jasper quickly positioned himself between her thighs and slowly slid inside without a second thought; she was always ready for him. Eleanor gasped at his swift intrusion; she could feel his lips curl into a smirk against her shoulder as he began to move within her.

Soon, only the sounds of their ragged breathing could be heard as their bodies moved in seemingly perfect synchronization. He held her close, attempting to convey the truth behind the words he had spoken to her the previous evening.

 _I love you. I love you. I love you._

And yet, she wasn't sure if she would be able to will herself to say it back. If she did decide to try a real relationship with Jasper Frost, he'd have to be removed from Liam's security detail- conflict of interest, and given his own. He'd never go for that, as a gun toting American. She was sure of it.

The increase in his thrusts broke her train of thought, and she briefly felt bad for allowing her mind to wander while he paid such close attention to bringing her pleasure. Not that he needed to work hard at it; as much as Eleanor didn't want to admit it, he knew exactly what she liked, and where she liked it.

Her eyes refocused on his as he moved above her, a small, lazy smile broke out across her features; his hips pushing deeper and deeper.

The look in his eyes told her everything she already knew; everything he had confessed to her last night wasn't a lie. That he knew how she felt about him- about their situation- and that he's wait.

Eleanor knew that Jasper would wait until the end of time for her, and that frightened her more than anything. She never thought she'd be worthy of that kind of love. Let alone from an ex-con turned bodyguard. An American.

"Oh fuck," she groaned, her thighs gripping him tightly as her orgasm suddenly overtook her like a sudden tsunami.

"Come for me baby," he whispered in her ear, gripping her hip as he moved within her. She could tell he was close.

A strangled moan fell from his lips as he finally released himself inside of her. She surprised even herself by reaching for him, and held his head against her chest in a rare moment of intimacy.

Jasper slowly pulled out, and rolled onto his side, his chest heaving. He propped himself up on his elbow, and pushed her hair out of her face with his free hand.

"You can stay," she said breathlessly.

"I always do," he replied, pressing a brief, but firm kiss to her lips before rolling away and reached for his shorts.

Eleanor swiftly moved out of her bed and bolted across the room to her closet to make her way to her expansive bathroom.

Ten minutes later, refreshed and dressed in a fresh bralette and shorts, she slid back into her bed, to find him back on the left side, on his stomach, nearly asleep.

"You're not supposed to sleep on the job," she said.

"Not your detail," he mumbled, clutching her pillow.

"You will be for the next two weeks as of 8 a.m," she settled back in and rolled on her side.

To her surprise, Jasper didn't reply. Eleanor realized he had fallen asleep. His usually hardened features had softened considerably, looking closer to his twenty-six years. She carefully reached forward and brushed his damp fringe out of his face, watching as his eyes slowly fluttered open and refocused on her.

"I do ... I do ... _like_ you, Jasper," she whispered, her voice strained as she struggled to find the words to convey how she felt. She couldn't say what he wanted to hear. Not until she had validated his story.

To her relief, he seemed to understand what she was saying, and how hard it was for her to even say it in the first place.

The Princess had a nasty habit of getting too attached to those who showed her kindness, despite being burned by it numerous times. She was broken, and horribly so.

He wanted to be the one to put her back together.

* * *

Hours later, several loud knocks on her door roused her from her sleep.

"Your Highness?" Called an unrecognizable voice, "a car will be ready for you in an hour to transport you to the airport."

"Thank you!" She called, before leaning over and roughly pushed on Jasper's shoulder to wake him.

"I heard him," he snapped, and hauled himself up. He looked at her cautiously, and leaned over and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him and quickly covered her body with his own, grinding his hips roughly into hers.

"Get off- I have to pack-" she protested weakly.

"I'm trying," he whispered in her ear.

"Sod off, I'm serious, Jasper."

He reluctantly rolled off of her and onto his back. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood.

"Baby, we have plenty of time."

Eleanor whirled around, her face shining with irritation as he arched an eyebrow at her as he lounged comfortably amongst her blankets. She sighed loudly, and placed her hands on her hips. "You don't get to call me that," she said seriously.

"You didn't seem to mind last night."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable," she grabbed the blankets around him, and pulled them away before depositing them onto the floor, and disappeared into her closet without another word.

An hour later, she and Jasper were being ushered into the back of a black Cadillac, palace flags removed, with the windows tinted dark. She hadn't said much as she flitted about, pulling clothing from their hangers and throwing shoes into a trunk, and thankfully he had respected her desire for space.

Eleanor knew that she was sending him mixed signals by allowing him to sleep in her room again, and do more than just that. Only to push him away. She was more messed up than she wanted to own up to.

He said that he was dedicated to righting things with her. She had admitted that there was something there, and it frightened her more than she let on. She knew him well enough to know that he was going to hold onto that admission for the next two weeks.

What in the hell had she gotten herself into?

"Your Highness, security is requesting a more detailed itinerary," James Hill announced from the front seat.

"I'll send it to Ted when we land," Jasper said smoothly, resting his arm across the back of her seat.

"There you have it, Mr. Hill!" She said sarcastically.

"Have you been to Vegas before, Princess?" He asked, ignoring her comment.

"No," she said simply, turning back to staring out the window.

"You know to call if you need assistance," he said, meeting Jasper's warning gaze in the rear view mirror.

"I do," she confirmed. "I'll be fine. Mr. Frost was impeccable while assigned to my detail. I have no concerns."

A small smile spread on James Hill's face.

* * *

"Your Highness? We'll be landing at McCarran International Airport shortly.

We've been notified that there are some paps on the ground awaiting your arrival. Would you prefer us to bring the plane into a hanger or-"

"The hanger, please." She sighed, reaching for her bag. She had stuffed her ball cap and sunglasses inside. She would have to have a word with Ted when she returned; someone in the palace had been consistently leaking her movements to the press for the past several months and it was getting very old, very fast.

"Have them bring us a car around, I'll be driving us to our destination," Jasper instructed as he sat down across from her, having just changed out of his casual clothing and back into his black suit for the sake of appearances.

"Yes sir. Your Highness," the steward acknowledged, before leaving them alone in the cabin.

"Does this bother you? Being here?" She asked, breaking their silence.

"Yes, and no," he replied, glancing out the window. "Yes, because I'm embarrassed of what I was. And no, because it'll give me a fresh start. With you."

"Where are we staying?"

"My Aunt's. She's not like my parents. She's a business lawyer. Perfectly normal and legal. She was so proud that I had gotten a job- a real job- in the palace. I felt awful lying to her," he sighed. "Her name is Catherine. Catherine Frost. And she doesn't know that I've brought you with me. I told her I was bringing a friend."

Eleanor's eyes widened, alarmed. "She must know you've been my bodyguard."

"She does," Jasper confirmed. "She understands legalities, Eleanor. If I didn't think it were safe I would have brought us to a hotel. You wanted my story, so you're going to have to slum it with the common folk."

"That's not what I was implying," she snapped, smoothing a wrinkle out of her leather pants in frustration. "When have I ever judged you for being common?"

She had him there. Berated and cursed him out, maybe, but never that. A small smirk began to spread on her features as the plane hit the Tarmac.

"Are your parents going to be there?"

"Fuck no," he said. "I don't know where they are. Nor do I want to. They'd be over in a second if word got out that I had you here. And you think I'm charming," he let out a hollow laugh. "Just imagine what my father is like."

"Oh please," she said dismissively, waving her hand.

"Your Highness? Immigration needs to check Mr. Frost's passport. They'll be coming aboard momentarily."

She nodded and unbuckled her seat belt and rose to her feet and began collecting her belongings. Jasper pulled his passport out of the interior pocket of his suit jacket, and met the immigration officer at the front of the plane.

"Princess Eleanor, welcome," he acknowledged, then stamped Jasper's passport. "You're free to disembark."

"Your keys, Mr. Frost," the Steward announced, handing him a set. He nodded, grabbed her bag and swung it over his shoulder, and led her off the plane. Sure enough, a black Mercedes SUV with tinted windows was waiting for them. He unlocked the doors and opened the front one for her, ushered her in, and closed the door as the security officer's began unloading their bags into the trunk.

"Ready?" He asked, sliding the key into the ignition.

"Wow me, Jasper Frost," she said flatly and he promptly sped out of the terminal, thankfully unfollowed.

* * *

"Well?" He asked as they were stopped at a traffic light.

"I hate the States. It feels so wrong being on this side of the road," Eleanor complained, frowning at the lights along the strip. "It's goddamn bright. How do you sleep here?"

"You get used to it," he explained, placing his hand on her thigh as they headed toward the freeway. She allowed it. "Not everyone in Nevada lives on the Strip, Princess."

"I know that, thank you," she replied tightly, and leaned back into her seat, and didn't utter another word.

Half an hour later, he pulled into an earthy gated community. "This is how I knew that was safe for you. And that my folks wouldn't be here," he explained. "This place has restricted access, and is guarded 24/7."

"Since when are you the Safety King?" She asked, looking at him. " _Eleanor, I just want to make sure you're protected_ -" she mimicked before he cut her off.

"Shut up," he snapped; his ears turning a brilliant shade of red as he pulled into a large driveway. "I'll get our bags later, stay behind me, and keep your head down. Don't get out of the car until I get you."

"I thought you said-"

"Eleanor," his tone offered no room for argument as he exited the vehicle. She sighed loudly and unbuckled her seat belt, and leaned back in her seat, her face disguised in the shadows.

"Jasper!" A woman's voice exclaimed. "Why are you in a suit? Where is your friend?"

Eleanor leaned forward slightly to see him embrace a shorter woman with the same sandy blonde hair as he. He locked eyes with her, his expression nervous as if it had just dawned on him what he had done, and whom he had brought with him. He abruptly pulled away from his aunt and slowly made his way toward her. He pulled open the door, and she kept her head down as he instructed; her hair acting as a curtain to shield her face.

"Why don't we go inside and make the introduction there?" His voice shook. Eleanor instinctively placed her hand on his arm as she stood slightly behind him.

"Jasper-"

"Please, Catherine."

Eleanor got her first look at his aunt; the same piercing blue eyes swimming with confusion as she sought out the mystery woman behind her nephew. Her hair was styled in an elegant knot, and dressed in a neat black pencil skirt and white blouse. Catherine turned without another word and led them inside.

Eleanor took in the warm browns and creams of the interior entry hall and initially felt a sense of warmth; something she hadn't felt for many years at the palace.

"What is going on, Jasper? You promised me you were done-" she demanded.

He abruptly stepped aside, and she raised her head, her expression guarded. Her jaw dropped.

"Catherine, this is Her Royal Highness, Princess Eleanor Henstridge," he said carefully.

"Your Highness-"

"Eleanor, please," she said kindly, stepping forward and shook her hand politely. "I'm sorry I've just learned of your existence about an hour ago. I was under the impression we were to be in a hotel."

"Eleanor," she said carefully, placing her hands on her shoulders, "so you are the reason why my nephew has decided to leave the family business?"

"So he says," she cast him a side glance. "He still needs to prove that to me. Right now he's my brother's bodyguard, on loan."

"I was yours for six months," he interjected. "That's some sort of record for you, isn't it?"

"We all have our achievements," Catherine released her. "Jasper, show this lovely young woman to the living room."

He immediately placed his hand in the small of her back and led her down a small hallway.

"I've never been in a house before," she admitted.

"Believe me, they're not all like this," he whispered in her ear. "You've been in my flat."

"There isn't anything that says it's yours," she whispered back, turning her head slightly to look at him.

"Everything I need is at the Palace," his lips brushed over hers.

Eleanor pulled back as the sound of Catherine's heels on the hallway became close.

"Here you are, my darlings," she said warmly, placing mugs of tea in front of she and Jasper. She accepted it gratefully, just as her mobile began to ring.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry," she muttered, looking at her mother's FaceTime request and walked into the hallway.

"Do you mind telling me why I just found out from _Ted Pryce_ that my daughter has taken off to LAS VEGAS with her ex-bodyguard, without her detail? Have you lost your goddamned mind, Eleanor?" Queen Helena exclaimed as her face filled the screen.

Eleanor scowled. "Mum, now isn't a good time-"

"Hello, your Majesty," Jasper said cautiously from behind her. Eleanor's jaw dropped in surprise. Jasper took the opportunity to pluck her phone from her fingers, willingly going to battle against The Queen.

"Frost!"

"Jasper!"

"It was my suggestion to go without detail, Your Majesty. The Princess and I have unresolved issues and it's best if we combat this alone. I assure you she's secure. You know I wouldn't bring her anywhere I felt wasn't safe," he explained.

"If one hair on her head is out of place when she returns-"

"-quit it, mum," she grumbled, reaching for the phone. Jasper held it over her head, out of her reach. "Jasper, give me back my mobile!"

"She'll be fine," he assured her again, wrapping his arm around her neck, forcing his body against hers and pinned her against the wall, and disconnected the call. Jasper placed her mobile back in her hands.

"She'll have you fired for that," Eleanor seethed.

"If it's any luck I'll be quitting when we return," he said dryly, arching an eyebrow in her direction.

Eleanor bit back her reply. She knew exactly what he was implying.

Her mother approved of their reunion. It would be officially confirmed by the palace that she was dating an American.

 _Dethroned_ would have a field day if they uncovered his past.

"Jasper, we're being rude," she said finally, heading back towards the sitting room, her eyes roaming the pictures on the walls. "I'm sorry, my mother-"

"Is the Queen of England, I understand," Catherine smiled, moving to the side of the sofa so she could resume her spot. Eleanor busied herself with her tea, slightly embarrassed.

"You have a lovely home," she commented, her eyes focused on Jasper as he lifted their suitcases out of the boot of their vehicle.

"Not as lovely as yours, I'm sure," she mused, gauging her reaction.

Eleanor shook her head. "Centuries of decorations that cannot be touched. Nothing is yours. It belongs to the state. The people," she said softly, dragging her eyes away from Jasper, and met Catherine's gaze. "And the things that are yours, cannot be trusted to stay that way."

"Jasper brought you here to prove a point, Eleanor," she began seriously. "He came here to me, almost three years ago, and said he was tired. Not done, but tired. He said he wanted something more challenging than being a security guard at The Cosmopolitan Casino. The Cosmopolitan is one of the top on the strip, he was very lucky to have the job he had. Two days later, he advised me he was leaving for the United Kingdom because he was offered a contract with MI5. Seven months ago he announced he was being reassigned to the Palace, and getting permanent residency. I've seen him in the background photos with you, and your brother. I've barely heard from him since; not that I did often to begin with. Then last night he calls and said he was coming home for two weeks, and bringing someone with him. He asked me not to tell his parents. Not that I speak to my brother and his wife frequently, given their situation." The front door swung open and she heard him rustling in the entryway, presumably removing his suit jacket and tie.

"Eleanor, you're going to have to help, you realize that?" He called saucily, oblivious to the conversation that had just occurred.

"What?" She said, alarmed.

"This luggage isn't going to carry itself upstairs. I don't know why the hell you felt it necessary to travel with a trunk. No one does that! _No one_!"

"Jasper, I'm the goddamn Princess," she snapped back, rising to her feet; her cheeks pink with embarrassment. Catherine smirked.

"This is America, Your Highness," he drawled as she rounded the corner. "We banished the Crown in 1776. You carry your own luggage." His arms slipped around her waist, and pulled her flush against him; her hands instinctively went flat against his chest.

"Now help me," he released her, gesturing to the trunk he had dragged in. She walked to the rear of her luggage trunk, and looked at him expectantly. Reluctantly, she helped him lift it up the large staircase to a room on the second floor.

Compared to her own, it looked very plain. The bed was a queen, and had a white duvet and sheets, a sharp contrast to the dark wood frame. The rest of the room had similar dark wood accents and a tasteful art prints adorned the wall. There were no family photos displayed anywhere, that she had noticed.

"This is ridiculous," she announced, breathless and dropped her trunk unceremoniously.

"When was the last time you carried something, anyway?" He popped a piece of gum into his mouth and crossed his arms.

"I-" she began, glaring at him. He smirked as she stopped abruptly.

"There is no one here to bring you tea in the morning, to clean up after you, none of that. Do you even know how to cook?"

"Shut up, Jasper," she snapped, turning away. "You don't need to rub it in."

He came up behind her, and rested his hands on her elbows and pressed his lips against her ear. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Eleanor didn't reply. Her insecurities slowly began to bubble up as he held her. There were a lot of things she didn't know how to do at the tender age of twenty-two. She could barely drive. She hasn't cooked a thing in her life, or done the washing up. She didn't even know where her laundry went to be cleaned.

"Jasper, I'm the domestic type," she said flatly. "I don't think I ever will be."

"I know that," he replied, turning her to face him. "I'll teach you. Don't worry."

"Your aunt must think I'm such a brat," she sighed, pulling away and headed to the window. "It wouldn't be the first time someone has. My mother's told me that, several times."

"You can be a brat, yes," he agreed. "But you have a good heart. Which can't be said for a lot of others in that palace."

She frowned. "Liam is good."

"Liam is very good, and he would have made a great King," he agreed, joining her as they looked out over the street below.

"How did you meet Man- Samantha?" She asked carefully, not meeting his gaze.

"That's a long story for another time," he sighed, moving away from her and ran his fingers through his hair. "We should go back."

Eleanor nodded slowly, and followed him out of the room.


	4. Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown

He didn't want to seem presumptuous, he had said. He left her alone before retiring to another room down the hall. She had been about to call bullshit, but he was already gone. They had spent the last two nights together, why would tonight be any different? Not that she actually wanted him in her bed... Or did she?

They hadn't acknowledged anything beyond some sort of twisted relationship. Jasper Frost was not her friend, and he certainly was not her boyfriend. Catherine had seen him be affectionate toward her, with little to none in return. Eleanor had never been one to broadcast her feelings publicly. Especially in front of a stranger.

It was a bold move for him to bring her somewhere so _normal_ and inconspicuous. They certainly would have been seen had they followed through with her plan of checking into a hotel. Then again, he was at a greater risk of being sighted, and Jasper didn't seem too keen on bringing her to see the typical sights and sounds of Vegas, given his previous occupations in the area. If she wanted to be treated like royalty on tour, she would need to come back another time. Alone.

This was not her territory any longer; and the eyes here weren't watching for her. They were watching for him. Once again, she had no authoirity here. She knew that Jasper was completely at her mercy- a complete 180 turn from where they had been several months ago.

All she had to do was say yes.

Eleanor sunk deeper into the bath and sighed, watching the steam swirl up around her. She couldn't remember the last time she had taken a lengthy bath; she was normally in such a hurry she didn't have the time. Or the dedication.

The silence in the house was deafening; it was like nothing she had ever experienced. She was afraid to move in fear that she might wake someone. Every movement she made seemed to echo off of the walls.

She couldn't stay in there forever. The battery on her iPhone was nearly dead after a heated FaceTime session with Liam, who had chewed her out for taking Jasper away in the middle of their personal investigation into their father's murder.

 _"Why couldn't you just work it out here, Len?"_ He had whined. While she was interested in the situation at hand, she also needed to figure her own life out.

 _"There are greater risks at a marriageable age as a royal,"_ her mother had reminded her. _"He'll become a duke if he marries you."_

Could she see herself married to Jasper Frost? If her place in the family weren't already so low, she'd scoff at the idea. The spare spare. She would never be heir. Unless there was some fluke with their DNA testing, and given the current state of affairs, she wouldn't be surprised if it were some scheme concocted by her mother and Cyrus to keep she and Liam from disbanding the monarchy.

They always told her she had her father's eyes, and her mother's spirit. Which father were they talking about?

Eleanor slowly pulled the plug out of the drain and stepped out of the deep, porcelain bathtub and wrapped a towel around her body. She quickly dried herself and entered her room and dressed in a pair of shorts and a black t shirt. She glanced at the bed, and it was still empty.

Of course he would make her come to him. He'd been her bitch all day.

She was in a foreign country she rarely visited, alone. The man who wanted her more than anything was two doors down the hall.

"Damn you, Jasper Frost," she whispered to herself, and slowly pulled the door open with a resounding _creek_. Swearing under her breath, she stepped into the dark corridor and tiptoed down to his room. She knew that he knew that she was coming; and she could practically see the look on his face in her mind's eye.

Eleanor pushed open the door without knocking and found him propped up in bed with his laptop perching on his lap, the pale blue light illuminating his face.

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you," he smirked.

"Shut up, Jasper," she snapped, sliding into the bed next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Emailing your brother. He's really pissed, you know," he explained, his eyes turning back down to his typing.

"Yes, well, the kid can deal with it." She said dismissively. "Besides, Lucius is in jail."

"Don't tell me you believe that bullshit," he looked up and locked eyes with her.

"I don't," she admitted, "but until we have more concrete proof, I'm not getting my hopes up that we'll have some big break and expose a conspiracy. The next thing I know I'll be finding out that it was my Gran or something!"

"Well, we never did vet for your Gran-"

"-shut up, Jasper," said Eleanor, clearly exasperated.

Jasper lowered the lid on his laptop and placed it on the nightstand. "Well?"

"Well?" Eleanor repeated, pulling her legs up to her chest and folded her arms over her knees. "Is your little plan working?"

"You tell me," he replied, reclining back and folded his arms behind his head.

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Did you happen to e-mail Ted Pryce our schedule?"

Jasper shook his head. "Of course not."

"Good. Because I know he'd have someone over here-"

"You know that you have a tracking device in your phone, right?" he laughed, reaching across her legs and pulled her iPhone off of the charger, and held the bottom up to her eyes. "Look in the headphone port," he instructed.

She squinted.

"That flashing light? It's transmitting back to the Palace where you are, right now."

Her eyes narrowed. So that was how he had been able to track her all over the globe a few months ago. He had likely hacked into the system to track her movements.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes," he admitted. She rolled her eyes again.

"Honestly, Jasper," she snatched it back and leaned over and plugged it back in. He swatted her behind, causing her to yelp.

"Are you trying to wake up the whole neighbourhood?"

"I'm going to kill you!" she seethed. "Do you have ANY idea how quiet it is here?"

"If you want quiet, Princess, I know just the place. That is, you don't mind sleeping outside."

Eleanor snorted. "You've got to be kidding me, Jasper. This place is a desert."

"That's what I figured you'd say," he replied, settling back down beside her.

"You don't seem like the outdoorsy type."

"Believe me; I'm not." He retorted.

"I don't know anything about you," Eleanor frowned. "Just that you're an ex con, American, and that you like both coffee and tea, which is a rarity." And, that he was damn good in bed and had a rather nice ass, but she wasn't about to admit that anytime soon.

"What do you want to know?"

She scrunched her face up and flopped back against the pillows and crossed her arms.

"When were you born?"

"April 10, 1989," he replied.

Eleanor nodded. "Your middle name?"

"John."

"Why in the hell did your parents name you Jasper?"

"What, are we playing twenty questions now?" He groaned. "Why the hell did your brothers get normal names, and you got stuck with Eleanor?"

"I was named after Eleanor of Castile, queen consort of Edward I of England," she snapped.

"Of course you were," he replied. "I was named after my grandfather. Less exciting."

"At least that means something to you. They didn't plan on me, Jasper. Just Liam. Did you know that my mother purposely had a C-Section, and ordered the doctors to take Liam out first? So their spare would be a boy," she explained bitterly.

"Oh yes, try growing up with people making fun of your name-"

She looked at him pointedly. "You do know my name is _Eleanor_ , yes?"

"You're a Princess-"

"Do you think that mattered? It only spurred them on."

"We both got the shit ends of the name stick, that's been established," he sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "Anything else?"

She bit her lip. What did she want to know about him? Prior to whatever this arrangement, he hadn't been very forthcoming about his personal life, or his time in Vegas, and for good reason. He had wanted to rob her and flee. Why would he want to get close to her?

"It's late," she sighed. "I should go back."

"If that's what you want," he said flatly. Eleanor knew he would prefer her to stay. They hadn't spent a night together and not not just slept. The silence between them was deafening, and yet, neither of them moved.

"We've never just slept," she whispered, looking at him, her expression unreadable.

"I know," he nodded his agreement. "No time like the present," he patted the spot next to him and arched an eyebrow.

"You're insufferable, Jasper," she scrambled off the bed and turned off the light and peeled back the sheets and slid in next to him.

They both laid on their backs, silent and unmoving.

"Have you ever just slept next to someone and _not_ had sex with them?"

Eleanor remained silent for several minutes. She had, several times, in fact. With Beck. "Beck. Beck was married, and he didn't want to ' _dishonour his vows_ '," she laughed bitterly. "And yet she openly cheated on him, and he always let her come back. Sometimes he'd end up at the palace and stay with Robbie, because they were best friends. And every time he'd end up in my room, in the middle of the night and we'd just hold each other. I loved him deeply. I lost my virginity to him, you see. And he kept telling me he'd give her one more chance. Several times."

"He left her recently," Jasper stated, his tone sharp.

"Yes," she confirmed noting his tone, and smirked to herself. He was jealous. "I know you saw us together. And we tried. While Beck's intentions are nothing but good, he didn't understand that I needed to deal on my own terms. I wasn't ready to stop. You can't just take me out to the country and expect me to be happy and everything will magically be better."

"You hate the country," he confirmed.

"I hate the outdoors, period," she said bitterly. "I knew then it wasn't going to work. We're not the same people anymore. While my mother was concerned about whom Liam and I would ultimately end up with, Beck fit the bill. He's good looking, titled, and doesn't listen to me," she explained, her voice heavy as she finally admitted it, more to herself than him. She loved Beck dearly, and likely always would, but not in the way he needed. She wasn't the woman he wanted her to be, and likely never would. Beck was safe. Beck was everything Jasper Frost wasn't. She had desperately tried to convince herself otherwise.

Jasper shifting in the bed brought her out of her reverie, and she flinched when she felt his hand clasp her wrist, and pulled her into his side. She sighed, and unconsciously tangled their legs together as they made themselves comfortable. His arm was wrapped protectively around her shoulders, her head lay on his chest.

He exhaled as his fingers played with the ends of her hair. The events from the past 48 hours weighed heavily on her shoulders, and she was glad she was finally away from everything in the palace, and she could just ... be.

* * *

"Get up."

"Fuck off," she grumbled, blindly reaching for the blankets to pull over her head.

"Get up, Eleanor," Jasper said, pulling open the curtains.

"I'll kill you," she groaned, rolling on her back and stretched.

"What's new?" He clipped. She cracked open an eye to find him standing at the foot of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of black sweatpants and unkempt hair. "Catherine's gone to work. I figured we'd just hang here for the morning."

She nodded slowly and reached for her blanket, but he was too quick. Jasper yanked them off of her body and onto the floor. She immediately curled into a fetal position as a shock of cold air hit her. "Jasper, I swear-"

"- you're going to kill me, I know," he rounded to her side of the bed and promptly picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and left the room without another word.

"So I've been up reviewing the tapes that Liam sent this morning," he explained, setting her down at the foot of the stairs and led her into the kitchen, and gestured for her to sit at one of the bar stools next to his laptop.

"Okay," she said slowly. He sat down next to her and pushed his computer between them, and opened a series of surveillance videos.

"So, we've pinpointed the King's attack to approximately 21:13," he began as he pulled up a grainy surveillance video of her father collapsing at the palace gates. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, and nodded for him to continue. He wordlessly started the next video, the surveillance footage of her bedroom door. She watched herself enter, taking note of the timestamp of 21:25. Not even two minutes later, Lucius strolled by.

"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed, seething. "That lying piece of shit! Why would he say he did it?"

Jasper sighed and closed the computer. "That's the million dollar question, isn't it?"

"Ted's in on the cover up," she said, resting her elbows on the counter as Jasper stood and began pulling various out of the pantry. "The hell are you doing?"

"Making you breakfast," he replied, setting a bag of flour in front of her. "And I know. _Something's rotten in the state of Denmark."_ He threw on his accent for effect.

Eleanor snorted. "And my mother."

"And your mother," he confirmed, setting a glass bowl on the counter.

She stared at him.

"Come here. You're going to learn how to make pancakes."

"What?" She blurted, clearly alarmed. "No, I'll just watch, thank you."

"Eleanor. Get your scrawny ass over here. Before I make you." Demanding Jasper in the kitchen was strangely alluring. She slid wordlessly off of the stool and stood next to him, arms crossed.

"What now, Gordon Ramsay?" she snapped, waving her hand at the supplies on the table. "Mind you, I've never-" he pushed a measuring cup into her hands.

"Three cups of flour," he cut in.

Her face scrunched up as she peeled open the bag of flour and peered inside. Tentatively, she dipped the plastic cup in, shovelled in, and hastily dumped it into the dish. A white cloud blew up in her face, causing her to sputter and sent the cup clattering across the island.

"Jasper!" She exclaimed. "Why didn't you warn me?"

Jasper shrugged nonchalantly, and gestured for her to continue as he slid on top of the counter opposite her.

She frowned and carefully scooped in two more heaps of flour, incident free.

"Go in the refrigerator and take out the milk jug, and two eggs, and butter."

She wordlessly collected the items in her arms, careful not to drop her eggs. Eleanor deposited them on the counter, and looked at him expectantly.

"Take that butter, cut it in half, and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Please tell me you know how to work a microwave?"

"I do, actually." She snapped, extracting a knife from the butcher's block and pointed it at him. "I did go to Central Saint Martins for two years, thank you. _And lived there, too_."

"What in the hell did you study?" He demanded, watching her throw the glass bowl in and punched in the numbers.

"Fashion," she said impatiently. Clearly, she'd rather have any other conversation with him but that one.

"Why did you leave?"

Eleanor remained silent as she withdrew the bowl with careful hands, and dumped it in with the flour.

"One cup of milk," he instructed. "Don't avoid the question."

"The others didn't like my designs," she admitted, not looking up from her work.

"Crack the eggs, no shells."

"My professors did, they thought I held promise. The other students thought I didn't deserve to be there, because of who I am. They didn't think I earned my place there, and made sure that I knew it. Saint Martins is the top fashion school in Britain. Graduates have gone on to work for Balmain, Givenchy, and Alexander McQueen."

"Your fashion show was great, Eleanor."

"It would have been greater if they were mine," she sighed. "What now?"

"Grab that spoon and mix it together. I'll fire up the stove. I don't trust you with the gas."

She rolled her eyes and wiped her brow, pulling the bowl to her and began to slowly mix everything together.

"Go finish. Prove them wrong."

"That's what my father said." She frowned as the batter began to thicken. "This is ridiculous. Aren't there machines that do this?"

"Yes, and you're going to slum it instead."

She attempted to pass him the bowl, and he moved away. "This is all you, Princess."

She wasn't sure if it were an endearment, or if he called her that out of habit.

"Pour it in," he instructed.

"How much?"

"You'll just know."

Eleanor huffed, and slowly began to pour her batter into the heated pan until she was satisfied, and set the bowl down beside the stove, and looked at him expectantly.

He smirked and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, holding a spatula in his other hand. "Told you it was easy," he breathed, his lips grazing her ear. "Now watch. When it starts to bubble through, it's time to flip it."

"I'm not doing that," said Eleanor, frowning. "I'll ruin it."

"I'm not doing it for you," he replied, dangling the spatula in front of her face. "You better get on it or you're going to burn your own breakfast, Your Highness."

"Honestly, Jasper," she groaned, plucking the utensil from his hands and shoved him away. She carefully grabbed the handle on the frying pan and slid the spatula underneath of her pancake. She let out a sigh of relief as it lifted easily, and carefully flipped it over.

"Give it a minute or so," he instructed, moving away. "Coffee or tea?"

"Tea," she answered, not looking up as he busied himself with the kettle. She lifted the corner of her pancake, noting it's completion and slid it effortlessly onto a plate, and repeated the process wordlessly.

Maybe slumming it with the plebs for the next two weeks wouldn't be that bad, after all.

"Go and get my mobile," she instructed.

"Go get it yourself," he replied. Eleanor turned to see him sitting at the breakfast bar, two mugs of tea steaming beside him as he browsed the Internet.

"If you want your goddamn breakfast Jasper Frost, you'd do well to fetch my phone," she ordered. "Don't they teach you _not_ to talk back? I don't understand how you were hired as _my_ detail."

"You're alive, aren't you?" He snapped, sliding off of his seat and headed toward the staircase. "Ungrateful bitch," he muttered.

"Yes, and you're lucky to have a job and not be in prison!" she snapped back, sliding her second pancake onto another plate, working to finish. She hadn't realised how hungry she actually was.

"Eleanor, turn around."

She clutched her plate and spun to face him, her irritation shining bright on her face. "What-"

He held up his phone, and snapped a picture of her, the flash temporarily blinding her. "Liam didn't believe me."

"You told Liam?"

"He didn't believe me," he repeated, shrugging and pocketing his phone and passed her her own. She shook her head and passed him a plate. She resumed her seat at the breakfast bar as Jasper set a butter dish and maple syrup in front of her.

She smiled softly to herself, and opened up her camera and snapped a picture of her own, before slowly adding her syrup.

"These aren't _that_ awful, Eleanor," he announced.

"Shut up," she muttered, slowly cutting into her own, her cheeks tinged pink as she dug in.

"I antagonise you because I know how amazing you can be when you try, Eleanor," Jasper said finally, setting down his fork and turning to her. She opened her mouth to reply, but the look on his face silenced her. "You love nothing more than to prove me wrong. Your fashion show. Your dedication to Liam. The amount of respect that you have for your father, and commitment to bringing justice. You think so little of yourself. Half an hour ago, you had yourself convinced you would fuck up pancakes. _Pancakes_ ," he repeated his last word for emphasis.

Eleanor set down her fork carefully and put her face in her hands. Her hair fell around the sides of her face, putting a thin veil between them. Robert had had a similar conversation with her, right before he had left for Wales the previous year, shortly after she had dropped out of Central Saint Martin's. Her father had followed soon after he had returned home from a visit, exasperated to learn that his only daughter had flunked out of college and had since been spending her nights drunk on the streets of Paris. She had learned quickly that drugs and alcohol made her forget the constant reminder that she wasn't needed. That she wasn't _wanted_.

Her mother never let her forget it.

She was nine years old when she overheard her admit to her mother that she had undergone fertility treatments to ensure that their spare would be a boy. Instead, somehow, they ended up with fraternal twins. Twins were prevalent in the Henstridge family line, but had thankfully never had a direct impact on the immediate succession.

She was thirteen when she overheard Dutchie and she discussing her appearance, and their fears that she would gain weight once she hit puberty.

Sixteen when her mother caught her stumbling home drunk and stoned from marijuana and told her she was a disgrace to the monarchy, and she would be shipped away to boarding school in Switzerland if she didn't pull herself together.

Nineteen when she stole cocaine from Cyrus, and didn't emerge from her room for three days.

Twenty-two when she was told that she contributed nothing, and never would amount to anything.

"Eleanor," Jasper said cautiously, "I'm sorry- I didn't mean-" an edge of panic arose in his voice as her shoulders began to shake with sobs. "Eleanor-"

"You don't understand," she said through gritted teeth. "My whole life I've been told I'll amount to nothing. It scares the shit out of me to hear someone- regardless of it's you or not- say that I can be something. It's very hard for me to believe, you need to understand this, Jasper."

"Do you not taste how great these are? I know it's a small thing, but you accomplished this. All by yourself. When we get back, show me your designs," he said urgently, grasping her chin and forced her to look at him. She cast her eyes downwards. Jasper's gaze was too intense for his own good. "I'm sure they're amazing. Is there some way you can complete your degree without being there?"

She shook her head. "I'd need to be there. I wouldn't want any special treatment."

"So you've considered this."

"Briefly, yes," she admitted. "There's no point. I'd be too far behind."

"Eleanor, this would be a huge contribution. Think of all the good you can do with this."

She laughed a tearful, watery laugh and slumped back in her seat. "I had the same conversation with Robert last Christmas, you know," she admitted, wiping her eyes. "We were going to co-found a charity and rehab centre to help disadvantaged women get their shit together and integrate back into society. Robert also thought I could be fixed."

"You can still do it, you know," he said carefully, placing his hand next to hers on the counter. He'd do well not to touch her in this moment. She'd crawl back into whatever hole she had just come out of.

"I know," she agreed. "Taking the first step is hard, Jasper. I've been a mess for a very long, long time. You don't know what I-"

"Eleanor-"

"No, listen to me!" She demanded, pulling away from him. "You have such an unrealistic belief of who I am. You've hurt me, several times. Everyone's telling me to give you a second chance and there's a good possibility that you'll let me down. Again. If this is what I have to do to to get it in your thick head that I'm not worth whatever you think-"

Jasper was on his feet in a flash, and had her pinned against the island, his lips firmly planted on hers, desperately kissing her. Her hands flew to his neck, holding him in place, clearly caught off guard. He slowly pulled back, breathless, and rested his forehead against hers.

"I don't know what I have to do to make you believe that you are worth it, Eleanor," he whispered. "I know I've hurt you, and I'm trying to make it right. I've never done this before, either. I wanted to rob you because I thought you didn't deserve to have any of it. That you hadn't earned it. We only see what we're allowed to see- and after spending a few days with you I knew it was different than what I thought. I saw how fucked up you were after Robert's death. How your mother treated you. I panicked and I just knew then I couldn't do it. I couldn't let you go. I'm so, so goddamn sorry Eleanor. You're worth everything you think you're not. I'll spend every day proving it to you, I swear. Starting tonight. We'll go out on a real date. Nothing shitty."

She forced a small, sad smile up at his desperate gaze. "You don't have to take me out there. It's more dangerous for you than it is for me."

"We're not going anywhere near the Las Vegas Strip," he confirmed. "I know there's eyes out there, and I don't care if they see me. I don't work for them, not anymore."

"I'm sure you stashed a handgun in my luggage, anyway."

"Of course I did. I wouldn't travel with you unarmed," he said breezily, moving away from her, once he was sure that the mood in the room had lightened considerably.

"You don't go anywhere unarmed," she replied, turning back to her breakfast. "What is it with you people and your guns?"

"Finish up and go and get dressed. We're going out. And bring your sunglasses."


	5. Was yet of many accounted beautiful

_He best be making it right._

Eleanor stared at her mobile, the six-word text message from her mother stared right back. The Queen had made it painfully clear to her on her birthday that she was remorseful about driving a wedge between she and Jasper. She had saw that his presence put her in somewhat of a good mood, and she had at least stopped dragging strange men into the palace, only to have them escorted out by security the next morning, never to be seen or heard from again.

Dysfunctional at best, he had been the most stable thing in her life for several months.

 _It's fine_. she texted back, and tossed her iPhone on the bed and turned to her luggage, her hands on her hips and pulled out a simple black dress and a pair of strappy sandals. If it weren't for the central air in the house, she knew she'd be boiling. She didn't like the heat; and preferred to wear as little as possible. She also knew he'd protest and send her back upstairs. It wasn't that he got jealous; rather he didn't want her attracting attention. While her face was less recognizable here, she still was good looking. Her accent would stand out; and he didn't want to be subjected to another awful Henstridge American accent attempt.

She fluffed her hair over her shoulders, grabbed her bag and swung it across her body. Eleanor slipped into her shoes and pulled open her door, and nearly ran into Jasper, who had his arm raised to knock. She took in his appearance; he was dressed similarly in a pair of jeans and a tight, dark blue t-shirt. Eleanor jumped back, startled.

"Sorry," he apologized, backing away so she could leave. She nodded wordlessly, and waived her sunglasses in front of his face. "Do these satisfy you?"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "They cover most of your face, you tell me."

"You're insufferable," she muttered, descending down the staircase. "Where are we going?"

"I haven't figured that out yet," he answered, fishing his keys out of his pocket, and opened the front door for her, and she let herself into the car without another word.

They drove in silence. Jasper seemed to have some sort of destination in mind. Once again, he had failed to share that with her.

"You _can_ tell me where we're going," she said finally. "Just so that's out there."

A small smile spread across his lips, but he offered no words as he pulled into a parking garage.

"Where are we," she demanded.

"I owe you a pair of earrings," he said as he withdrew the keys from the ignition. "Ones that aren't cursed."

"You don't need to do that, Jasper. I have plenty of earrings. I likely won't wear those for a while, you're right-"

"I want to," he pulled off his sunglasses and mounted them on top of his head. "Besides, I didn't get you anything for your birthday, anyway."

"You don't need to waste-"

"Eleanor," he said, exasperated. "I'm trying here-"

Her eyes closed and she exhaled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't. Come on, you're going to get the Las Vegas mall experience," he joked as they left the vehicle. "Welcome to _The Boulevard_."

"This is massive!" She exclaimed, looking around in awe. "I've only been to New York and Los Angeles. Everything is outside there, on the High Street," she rambled.

"First thing's first, Princess, is that there is no such thing as a High Street in America," he explained, slipping his hand in hers. She dug her nails into his palm.

"Don't call me that here," she hissed, looking around.

"Sorry baby," he corrected sarcastically.

Eleanor rolled her eyes, and bumped his shoulder with hers as they strode through the concourse. Thankfully, Jasper allowed her to drag him to several stores she had never seen before, let alone heard of.

"Vodka comes in ten dollar increments?" She said, clearly fascinated as he stood next to her in a liquor store.

"That's just a pint, Eleanor," he explained, "You're not getting booze. Put it back."

"I think that's for me to decide, thank you," she snapped, carefully placing the plastic bottle back on the shelf. He grasped her arm and pulled her out.

"You think so, do you?"

"Don't pull that shit on me," she snarled, pulling her arm free.

Jasper froze, realizing what he had said- she had told him just last night that Beck had tried to cut her off. She was an adult, who could make her own decisions. "I'm sorry- I didn't mean it that way. I wouldn't do that to you, trust me."

She pressed her lips together into a thin line and said nothing as she paused in front of a clothing store to inspect a handbag. "I'm going to pay for this," she announced to him, and strolled into the store, pulling out her credit card in the process. Jasper patiently waited for her, watching the girl at the counter chat with her politely; she clearly had no idea whom she was talking to.

"How was that?" He asked, falling back into step with her.

"Fine," she answered.

Jasper sighed, before laying his eyes on a small jewelry store. "Come here," he said suddenly, his hand lightly clasping her wrist.

"What? Oh-" she said, turning to see what he was suddenly so hell bent on looking at.

"Hello," the jeweller greeted kindly. Eleanor caught his eyes flickering to her left hand, and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She knew where this was going to end up before the conversation even started. "Ring shopping?"

Eleanor snorted. Jasper shot her a dirty look, and shook his head. "No. I owe her a pair of earrings."

He arched an eyebrow, as if he were expecting a backstory containing an epic fuckup, but it never came. Eleanor's hand slipped from his as she browsed the display cases.

"Len," he said softly. Her brow furrowed; he had never called her that before. She couldn't recall a time where he hadn't called her Eleanor. She rejoined his side, ignoring the hovering salesman. "I know your grandmother said you look good in diamonds, and black is your favourite colour…" He gestured to a pair of studded black diamond earrings, surrounded by smaller, white-toned diamonds.

She looked up and smiled a bright, shining smile. One that he hadn't seen from her in months, before this whole shitshow happened. When the only thing that mattered was when he was going to be able to get into her bed. A smile from her, for him, was a rarity in it's own right, let alone it being genuine. He had made her frown more than he cared to admit to. Things were different now.

"These," he pulled his gaze away from hers, his finger positioned directly above the pair he had selected.

"Sir," he acknowledged, his hand hovering over the case, "these are three-thousand-"

"Money isn't an issue," he cut in.

His hand hesitated, still. Eleanor sprung into action.

"I'm sorry, you must not recognize me," she said, turning to face him, drawing herself to her full height and brushed her hair out of her face.

"No ma'am-"

"Her Royal Highness, Princess Eleanor Henstridge," Jasper stepped away as the venom dripped from her words as both recognition and horror flashed on the salesman's face. Her eyes flickered to the nametag on his vest. "Henry, I suggest you refrain from showing such disdain to any young couple that comes in here. It's not very becoming. We'd like these earrings packed up, please."

"Of course, Your Highness, he murmured, hastily unlocking the display case with shaky hands as she turned to face Jasper.

"Welcome to Las Vegas." He replied, drawing out his wallet and flashed his credit card without hesitation. "I'm her security. It would be in your best interest not to mention that Her Royal Highness was in here this afternoon, and I'm sure the Princess will extend you the same courtesy and not mention the incident that occurred here today to the Palace."

He gulped. Eleanor smirked. As if her Mother or Cyrus would give less of a shit how she were treated stateside, it was fun to watch him squirm as he dutifully rang in Jasper's purchase, and handed him a small black bag. She shook her head as he firmly planted his hand in the small of her back and led her from the store.

"Is that how they treat people here?" She hissed once they were out of earshot. "That is absolutely deplorable-"

"Calm down," he hissed back, leading her back towards the parking garage. "He was on his phone before we were out of that store. We need to get out of here, the paps will be here any minute. I checked the news this morning, they've been calling every hotel trying to track you down. They saw the Royal jet arrive and depart."

"It's a good thing I'm not in a hotel, then."

"You have no idea," he replied as they both simultaneously pulled out their sunglasses and donned them as they stepped out into the dry Nevada heat.

* * *

"I know I said I wasn't going to take you to The Strip-"

"-But you realized that's where all the best restaurants are, and that's where we're going for dinner," Eleanor replied, not looking up from her iPad as she typed away furiously to Liam.

"How did you know?"

"Liam," she said simply, her eyes rising briefly to meet his as he sat next to her on the sofa. He leaned back and placed his feet on the coffee table in an attempt to read over her shoulder. She promptly closed her messaging application and turned to him.

"So, boyfriend wannabe, where you taking me?"

"It's a surprise."

"Not _The Cosmopolitan_ , I hope."

"How did you know about that?" He demanded.

"Catherine told me that's where you were working before you came to the Palace."

"What else has she told you? You hardly had any time alone with her-"

"Nothing, Jasper, calm the hell down," she said irritably and set her iPad down beside her and sighed. "I think I'm going to go take a nap. This time change is getting to me. I feel a bit jet lagged."

"If that's what you want," he replied. She placed her hand on his thigh, bracing herself to stand. He tensed slightly as she gracefully rose to her feet. "Set your alarm for five, we're leaving at seven." She nodded her acknowledgement, and headed toward the staircase.

Liam had made her tell him everything, and as much as she didn't want to tell him that Jasper and Samantha had intentions to rob them, she had to do it. Liam had never purposely kept anything from her, and she had tried to extend him the same courtesy. She knew that Liam trusted Jasper enough to help them solve the mystery of their father's murder, but the doubt was always present in the back of her mind.

Naturally, Liam had overreacted, and she had to deny his FaceTime requests several times, advising him that now was certainly not the time. He made her promise in three languages that she hadn't been kidnapped and that the Monarchy would be receiving a ransom request shortly. Eleanor had told him to shut up, and that he was the one who had been harassing her for the last few months to give Jasper another chance, and now she was finally doing it.

She should have waited to tell him, and let Jasper explain himself to Liam. Instead, he'd either let it fester until their return. Realistically, he'd most likely be blowing up Jasper's phone. Judging from continuous creak from the floorboards downstairs, signalling that Jasper was most likely pacing in response to something. Eleanor tossed her iPad carelessly on top of the side table and sat on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes.

Was she doing the right thing? He seemed dedicated to the cause of pursuing a doomed relationship with her. And yet, he had brushed off any attempt she made to extract more information from him.

He was still an enigma to her. Still poor Jasper Frost from Nevada. The con man turned good for the princess. It still seemed too good to be true.

Eleanor groaned loudly and flopped back amongst the pillows, her hair falling in disarray around her face. What had she done in particular to deserve him? He was fucked up, of course, but he never treated her any less than the Princess she actually was.

Jasper never once asked her to stop drinking so much. To stop snorting so much cocaine. He never ripped the bong from her hands during her wake and bake.

It hit her then, like a ton of bricks- she rarely did those things while he was around, save for the odd joint or the time he had accompanied her on her charity tour.

She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding in her chest. When she had been packing for their trip, she hadn't packed one ounce of marijuana. She hasn't brought one pill with her.

"Holy shit," she breathed, rubbing her face.

A soft knock on the door broke her trance. "Come in?" She called.

"Hey," he said cautiously. "You told Liam. Over text message?"

She nodded tiredly. "He needed to know. Liam and I don't keep things from each other. He needed to know why I don't trust you as freely as he does, Jasper."

"I know," he leaned against the door frame. "He just chewed the shit out of me."

"I'm not surprised. But he won't tell, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, he promised me discretion under one condition."

That peaked her interest. She looked at him expectantly as he entered her room, and closed the door behind him. "He made me promise that I'd never let you down. Ever. Again. That I'd never lie to you, or your family," he continued, stopping at the foot of her bed. "And then proceeded to tell me the protocols of what I have to look forward to if you finally admit that you're my girlfriend when we get back home."

"I thought this was your home?" She asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Not anymore." He answered, with a slight shake of his head, his eyes had darkened considerably. "I told you last night, Your Highness, everything I need is in the palace."

"What's your favourite food?" Eleanor asked as he reclined in her bed, watching her dress for the evening.

"Grilled cheese and bacon," he answered. "You?"

"Grilled cheese and bacon," she repeated, frowning as she opened the jewelry box containing the earrings he had purchased for her earlier that day. She carefully placed the box on the dresser, and placed them in her ears, and turned to face him expectantly, pulling her hair over her shoulder.

"Well, I know what I'm showing you how to make tomorrow," he drunk in her appearance, his eyes lingering on the dark studs in her ears. "They look beautiful."

He was rewarded with a smile.

"I'm going to go get dressed, we should leave soon. Traffic is heavy."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" She asked, turning around and signaled for him to zip up the back of her dress. Once again, she had chosen a short black dress with a low neckline and a thick silver zipper up the back. He zippered her up wordlessly, his fingers lightly touching the cool, pale skin of her back. He straightened up and pulled her back flush against his body, and met her gaze in the mirror.

"Top of the World," he answered. "I figured I'd give you a little stereotypical Las Vegas."

"That's the rotating restaurant?" she inquired.

He nodded, his expression impassive. "Private room. Obviously. I may or may not have told the hostess I was planning on proposing to you and they sold me on their Proposal Package. So bring a spare ring to look like I asked you to marry me or something."

Eleanor rolled her eyes and pulled away. "Of course you did," she muttered, bending over into her luggage and pulled out one of her rings and held it up to him. "Here you go, casanova. We could have eaten in general dining, you know. I don't mind."

"Yes, and then someone would recognize you. In turn, someone would recognize me."

"You're going to have to tell me about this sometime, Jasper," she said, exasperated, as he lifted the ring from her hand and closed his fingers around it.

He sighed heavily and turned toward the door. "I know. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to do so."

"It's not as bad as you think it is," she announced, "Jasper, you have a conscious. That's a lot more than what I can say about _her_."

His hand stilled on the doorknob. "She said that was my biggest weakness," he said quietly, and left the room without another word.

Eleanor sighed and turned back to her mirror to refresh her makeup, attempting to keep it toned down than her usual loud eyeshadow. It was quite possible he was just as fucked up as she was. If that were the case, then they were certainly quite the pair.

"Ready?" he asked, minutes later. She whirled around to see him dressed in a pair of fitted black slacks and a crisp white shirt and he had managed to tame his hair, which had been previously ruined by her wandering hands. Her eyes fluttered; sometimes he was too good looking for his own good. He could stun her with just one look, and she hated that he had that power over her. And he knew it, and had used it to his advantage against her in the past.

Jasper Frost had no qualms going toe to toe with her. He never had, and likely never would. The same couldn't be said for the previous men she had dated.

"Yes," she nodded, grabbing her clutch and her mobile phone, and turned to him. It pleased him to see that she wore no other jewelry than the earrings that he had purchased for her earlier that day. He had less than two weeks to make her his. Eleanor had been burned more in the last twenty-two years than one person should be. Her walls were impossibly high- nearly matching his own.

He had a feeling that he'd have to take her outside the city to find his parents to prove to her that he was just as fucked up as she was. At least she had a family that cared about her, for the most part. He couldn't speak for Cyrus and the Queen, but from what he had gathered from Liam, she had been close with Robert. Closer than she was with her own twin. The King cared deeply for his only daughter; but she had pushed him away in her teens.

His parents were too free spirited and narcissistic to see him more than anything in a pawn in their quest for wealth. Now in their forties, they were still apparently living in mobile homes, and still dishonest as ever. Jasper had distanced himself from them when he had gotten involved with Samantha Cook. Samantha had introduced him to a lifestyle that he could only have dreamed of. Things were not easy with her- her father had eyes on him constantly because of who his parents were, and he felt the need to prove himself better than them. He and Samantha were a dangerous team. They were young, good looking, and had access to money. Las Vegas was their playground. Silas Cook wanted him to join the family business, and leave his own. He had given him a job in the hotel to get used to the other lifestyle. The one that his parents could only dream of obtaining.

He had gotten it simply by giving Samantha Cook bedroom eyes and telling a handful of lies.

Jasper Frost had realized that everything he had done in the past five years meant absolutely nothing when he wound up in bed with Princess Eleanor. He had heard her talk in her sleep. Saw that she needed copious amounts of drugs and alcohol to keep her pain away, because she too, was stuck in a family she wanted nothing to do with and a lifestyle she didn't want.

"Eleanor?" He said, grabbing her wrist and spun her to him. She looked up at him expectantly. "I do love you."

She smiled sadly, and framed his face with her hands and pressed her lips to his. She still wouldn't say it back. She knew in her heart that she did love him, and deeply so. For her own emotional protection, she refused to say it back until she was satisfied she had all the answers. She still couldn't believe that he was going through all of this trouble. For her.


	6. Love is a spirit all compact of fire

**A/N:** I don't know about you guys, but I'm still trying to recover from that finale. SO HAPPY that there just might be a light at the end of the tunnel for Jaspenor! I also tried to find a way to see if I could drag this story out until the fall, to keep myself occupied, haha. Maybe another few weeks to a month, but definitely not another 10 months.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to slow down just yet!

* * *

"Hello, welcome to The Top of the World," the hostess greeted warmly. Eleanor didn't like how long her eyes lingered on Jasper.

"We have a reservation," he said curtly, paying no attention to her wandering eyes. "Frost."

Her eyes reluctantly trailed down to the book in front of her, and narrowed slightly. "Oh- you've reserved our private dining room?"

" _Baby_ , you didn't have to do that," Eleanor cut in, her tone a touch too sweet as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"It's our anniversary," he played along as she collected two menus. His hand ghosted over her behind, pushing her forward to follow.

"Oh, congrats!" their hostess replied with fake enthusiasm.

"Four years," Jasper said easily as she opened the door for them.

"Has it really been that long?" Eleanor drawled, setting her clutch on the side of the table and approached the glass wall, the lights of the city below sparkled in her eyes.

"We'll look at the wine menu," Jasper dismissed her.

Eleanor stood in awe of the city below her. "This is beautiful," she breathed.

"I've seen prettier," he whispered in her ear. She turned to see him staring at her intently, a single dark red rose in his hand. She couldn't help but smile as she pulled it from his fingers, and lifted it to her nose and breathed in its sweet scent.

"Thank you," she said, and slid into her seat at the table and looked down at the menu. "Chef's tasting menu, huh?"

Jasper smirked knowingly.

A knock sounded on the door and they both looked up as a young man walked in and smiled.

"Hello," he said brightly. "I'm Will, and I'll be your waiter tonight. Again, welcome to The Top of the World! Can I get you anything to drink?"

"We'll have the bottle of L. Roederer, please," Jasper replied, handing him the drink menu.

"Excellent choice, sir. And are you ready to order?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yes. I'll have the mixed greens salad to start, then the seared scallop, and the salmon," she instructed flawlessly, handing him her menu without straying her eyes from Jasper's.

"Cesar, grilled portobello, and the filet mignon. Medium rare."

"Of course, I'll be back momentarily with your salads," Will replied, nodding. He looked at Eleanor, as if he recognised her from somewhere, but couldn't place her face. She apparently noticed his eyes on her, and she turned her face back to the window.

"So," she said finally, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs. "Which one of these ostentatious buildings is _The Cosmopolitan_?"

"It's on the other side, I'll point it out when we come back around," he explained. "Have you ever been to the Cirque?"

"De Solei?" She inquired, shaking her head. "No. The last acrobatic thing I had to feign interest in were the 2012 Olympics."

"Did you want to see a show while we're here?" He asked carefully.

Eleanor shook her head. "No, none of this," she gestured to the city below. "I prefer the West End. Gemma's family is heavily invested in the arts. I went a few times to the theatre with her and our families. I prefer stage plays as opposed to the performances they have here."

"Not even Britney Spears?"

Eleanor laughed. "Do you even know me?"

"Who are you again?" He grinned. She smiled then. It was so hard to get him to put his guard down around her, even when he wasn't working. He was constantly on high alert. "There. That big black, glass building is _The Cosmopolitan_. See the 'C'?" He pointed out, suddenly.

Her eyes scanned the skyline until she honed in on the building he was talking about. Her smile faltered. "I'm assuming _she_ lives there."

Jasper nodded his confirmation. "Yes. Her whole twisted family does."

Eleanor shook her head. "If I _ever_ lay eyes on her again..."

"You won't," he sounded assured. "We have constant surveillance on her. She won't be allowed back in Britain for another two years. Neither will any member of her immediate family."

"I'm sure you saw to that."

"No, actually," he admitted, staring at the hotel as it disappeared behind her. "James Hill did."

She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I think he may last longer than you as my bodyguard."

"I hope that's all he is."

"Of course he that's all he is! Do you think that I-"

"-I was joking, Len."

"You've never called me Len before today," she cut in, eyeing him.

"Is that okay?"

"Yes," she replied, straightening in her seat as Will reappeared with their salads. She pursed her lips as he carefully placed her garden salad in front of her, and a small decanter of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

"I'm sorry if this is out of turn, but has anyone told you you look like Princess Eleanor?" Will smiled at her. She saw Jasper's grip tighten on the arm of his chair out of the corner of her eye.

"No, that's a first," she laughed nervously. "Thank you, I suppose."

"No worries," he winked. "Parmesan, sir?"

"Please," Jasper said tightly. He wordlessly shred cheese over his salad until Jasper held up his hand, signalling that he had enough.

"Enjoy," he said politely, and left without another word.

"Perhaps this was a bad idea," Jasper murmured as she picked up her salad fork and poured her dressing. Eleanor sighed as she mixed her salad together.

"It's always going to be like this, you know," she said quietly. "Especially when we get back to London. They'd clear out an entire restaurant for me if I asked them to. Security checks. Private rooms. Background checks on the staff…"

"I know what this means," he said, spearing a crouton. "I did them for you."

"Hopefully he'll let it go," said Eleanor, setting her fork down and reached across the table and placed her hand on his, in a surprising show of intimacy. "I have your fake proposal to look forward to."

He smiled softly at her as he shovelled his salad into his mouth. "It's going to blow your mind, baby."

Eleanor withdrew her hand from his and resumed eating without another word.

The rest of their meal went without incident, and Jasper excused himself to the bathroom while they awaited their dessert. Eleanor took the opportunity to check her mobile, and sighed loudly when she saw a slew of messages from Liam and her mother waiting for her. She debated not opening them, but figured it would be easier for her to just call and see what the hell they wanted now. She rose to her feet and walked over to the window, and sought out Liam's contact card.

"About time you decided to answer," he chirped. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Nor do I care, dear brother," she replied. "Jasper and I are having dinner. What do you want? Mum's rung too, but I'm less inclined to call her back. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Did you guys look at the footage I sent?"

"This morning we did, yes," she confirmed, looking at her nails. She heard the door open and turned to see Will enter again, carrying a tray of assorted chocolate desserts. "Thank you," she mouthed.

"Cyrus is engaged."

" _WHAT_?" She exclaimed, clearly startling Will behind her. "To whom?"

"Prudence. He knocked her up. With a boy."

Eleanor swore under her breath. "This is bad, Liam. This is very bad."

"I didn't mean to ruin your evening with this, but I thought you ought to know. I'll let you get back. We can discuss this tomorrow. Ring me when you wake up, yeah?"

"I will." She disconnected the call without another word.

"Is everything alright?" Jasper asked from behind, startling her.

She flinched as his hand lightly touched her elbow. "I didn't hear you come back in."

"I'm sorry," he breathed, pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"Yes, it was just Liam. He and mum have been blowing up my phone all through dinner. Cyrus is engaged."

Jasper released her and stepped back. "To whom?"

"Prudence? That maid that he and mum had fired for being close with my father. Allegedly," she explained as they resumed their seats.

Jasper's face scrunched up in disgust. "He's pitiful."

She nodded her agreement as she helped herself to a small slice of blueberry cheesecake. He watched her devour it, keeping an eye on the door. He could see Will and the Hostess watching them carefully, waiting for him to valiantly drop down to one knee and ask her to be his wife. She finished, and eyed the plate in front of her, focusing on a small chocolate box decorated with strawberries.

"Look how cute this is!" she exclaimed, picking it up and lifted the lid. Nestled inside, was not her ring, like she had expected. Instead, an emerald-cut diamond ring sat nestled on a cloth Tiffany's bag. Her eyes widened and her jaw went slack.

"Jasper-"

"I love you," he said, slowly sliding from his seat and down onto his knee in front of her. "I'm not letting you go. You've given me another chance to prove that I'm not a lying piece of shit, and I will, every day. It's the goddamn truth, Eleanor. I swear. I can't stand the thought of one more man that isn't me having his hands on you," he whispered. "I've told you before, my whole life has been based on odds and chances. I'm taking one more, right now."

"Are you serious?" she asked, leaning back slightly as he picked up the ring and held it in front of her. "Jasper! Say something!"

He took a deep breath, and stared her straight in the eye _. "Eleanor Mary Alexandria Henstridge, will you marry me?"_

Words had failed her. A million and one thoughts and scenarios were running through her head.

He would take care of her. Jasper would keep her safe. He was there for her in the aftermath of her fashion show, and came to her aid and protected her from Brandon Boone, despite having him thrown in jail for sleeping with her mother. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he had been there for her more than Liam had been since the funeral, in his own fucked up way.

She had cursed him out, thrown things at him, told him to leave and to not come back, and he didn't give up. He pushed her buttons. All of them. He lipped her, and followed her around the globe while she was on a drinking binge.

Jasper was just as messed up as she was, but he was trying. Which was more than she could say for herself.

"You. Are. Delusional," she stated clearly, watching his expression harden before her eyes. "But I'll give you a go. Yes. And we will tell no one until I'm ready."

"Of course," relief washed over his face as he slid the ring on her finger, and stood and pulled her into his embrace. She threw her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers into his hair, and kissed him deeply.

She caught a flash in the corner of her eye and pulled away abruptly.

"There's a commemorative picture," Jasper said quickly. "Not paps."

"Thank god," she breathed.

"Congratulations!" Will said brightly, holding a professional-looking camera tightly in his hands. "I can take one more if you want to stand by the window."

"That would be lovely, thank you," she said as they posed against the bright city lights, her hand on his chest; the ring on her finger sparkled against his black blazer. "Can you take one on my iPhone?"

"Of course," he replied, and Eleanor pulled away momentarily to open the camera on her phone and handed it to him and he snapped a few photos for her without hesitation.

"Thank you," she said kindly.

"I'll let you finish your dessert," he offered. "I'll have these ready for you when you're ready to leave."

"Thank you," Jasper repeated. He still hadn't let go of her. She didn't want him to.

"I hope you know what this means."

"I have a vague idea, yes."

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she resumed her seat and took a long drink from her champagne flute, her eye catching the sparkle on her newest piece of jewelry. "I want to leave."

"I'll go settle the bill. Stay here," he rose to his feet, pressed a kiss to her head and swiftly exited their dining area without another word.

Who would she even have for a bridesmaid? She didn't have any friends. She had Ophelia, but Liam had shot that down by shipping her off to New York. She couldn't very well have Liam, either. What the hell had she agreed to? Did he know what he was even getting into? He was going to become a goddamn prince. They would have to live in the palace, have an official residence…

That is, if she followed through with the marrying bit.

Jasper returned moments later, holding a glossy black file folder containing what she assumed were their unofficial engagement photos. Perhaps she would give those out instead of getting an official palace-sanctioned portrait, just to spite her mother.

"Let's go," he said, extending his hand and helped her to her feet. She picked up her clutch and mobile phone and slipped her hand in his. She kept her head down as they walked through the restaurant toward the elevator; fully aware that many sets of eyes were on them, and the unnecessary beacon of a ring that Jasper had placed on her finger. While it was nowhere as near as big as the one that her mother had, it was still large in its own right at three carats.

She let out the breath she didn't realise that she had been holding when the elevator doors closed behind them. Her body slacked against the glass wall, and she rested her forehead against his shoulder as his arm snaked protectively around her shoulders, holding her body close to his. "Are you too tired to go for a bit of a drive?"

She shook her head. "No. Can we stop at Starbucks?"

"You want coffee?"

"Of course not, have you lost what little is left of your goddamn mind?" she rolled her eyes, pulling away to watch them descend closer to the ground. "I'd like a tea. I don't know why you people don't have tea after your meals."

"You're marrying into _these_ people," he reminded her.

"No, you're marrying into _my_ people," she chided. "His Royal Highness, _Jasper_ , Duke of Somerset," she recited, arching an eyebrow. "Somerset is mine. Liam will have Kent."

"Oh, Ted's going to have a field day with this."

"I can't imagine why," she said sarcastically as he opened the car door for her. She gracefully slid inside and buckled herself in. Jasper did the same, and drove out of the car park.

"I did some digging," he said finally. "I found out where my parents are. I think you need to see bullshit that I came from. They just moved. Again."

"I do believe you," she said gently as he pulled into a Starbucks drive thru.

"Grande orange pekoe tea, 2 milks," he clipped into the speaker and pulled away. Eleanor passed her credit card wordlessly. He leaned out the window, tapped it, and handed it back to her. "Thanks," he muttered to the Barista in the window, and pulled away without another word and onto the freeway, bringing them further and further away from town. Eleanor held her tea in her hands, watching as the homes in the area became less and less grand, and vastly smaller. She took note that his knuckles were white against the steering wheel.

"We don't need to do this," she offered. Jasper shook his head.

"You might not have to, but I do. You can stay in the car, you don't have to come in."

"No, I think they need to know that they're not welcome in my house."

"Baby, I wouldn't use that term so loosely if I were you," he said, glancing at her. "Besides. There's a lot you don't know- they just need to know I'm getting married and I'm not coming back. Ever. They don't need to know I'm marrying you, per se."

She remained silent. Why wouldn't he want them to know about her?

"They're con artists, Eleanor." He said quietly, answering her unasked question.

"I'm coming with you," she said firmly, leaning her head against the window.

Jasper sighed loudly. "You defy me, at every turn. I tell you it's not safe to be somewhere, and you come anyway."

"My security isn't your problem, Jasper Frost," she said, her annoyance evident in her tone. She set her tea in the cupholder in the console. "I've taken care of myself for years before you, and I'll continue to do so. I've always had a shadow with a gun. You're not my knight in shining armour, Jasper."

She could tell he was biting back his reply.

"You can't be both bodyguard and fiancé," she continued. "I won't allow it. James is doing a fine job. You brought your gun with you. What are they going to do? Charm me into letting them into the palace? How gullible do you think I am? Besides, my mother is going to do everything in her power to make sure that your past isn't exposed. Including them."

"So you're saying I'm your fiancé," he interjected, placing his hand on her knee.

"Don't expect me to go broadcasting that about," she snapped, her cheeks reddening.

He shook his head and leaned back in his seat, his shoulders finally relaxing as she placed her hand over his and wove their fingers together. His thumb passed over the engagement ring on her finger, as if he was reassuring himself that it was still there. That she was still there.

They fell into a comfortable silence as he turned off of the highway. She could see the depths of the Nevada desert in the distance, and made a mental note to ask him to take her there. She had never been near anything that remotely resembled a desert; she usually stuck to cities. Cities were where the drugs and alcohol were. She knew it existed in places like this, and would have easy access to it, but she was smart enough to never go outside city limits.

Besides, other rich people had no qualms about sharing their drugs. Especially with royalty.

"We're here." He said finally, breaking her out of her reverie. Eleanor looked up from their joined hands to see them in front of a small, undecorated white cottage. Much like the other homes on the street, the lawn was unkept, and the foliage was overgrown. There was a distinct smell of hot, rotten garbage in the air. She fought to keep the look of disgust off of her face.

Their Mercedes Benz GLA was a harsh contrast against the other older, rusted vehicles that lined the street.

He pulled his hand free from hers and reached under his seat and drew out his handgun and holstered it in the waistband of his trousers. His eyes narrowed as he saw the drapes fluttering in the window, indicating they were being watched.

"If I say we need to go, we go. No questions asked," he instructed, unbuckling his seatbelt and exited the vehicle without another word. Eleanor slowly removed hers as he opened the door for her as the front door flew open.

"Who the hell are you?" A strong, male voice demanded. Eleanor and Jasper turned abruptly.

"Shut up, dad, you'll draw attention," Jasper snapped, slamming the door behind her.

"Jesus Christ, _Jasper_?"

"Who else unfortunately looks like you?" He snapped, leading her forward. Eleanor looked up to meet the steely gaze of John Frost; a carbon copy of his son, aged approximately twenty years. He tore his eyes away from his son, as if he had finally realised that he hadn't come alone. Jasper placed his hand protectively on her arm. "We're not staying. I just came to say a few things, and then we're leaving."

"Your mother is inside," John answered, stepping aside and allowed them to enter.

There were boxes everywhere, the walls were bare, and a thin, attractive woman stared at them impassively from across the small living room.

"We just moved in," he offered, eyeing Eleanor.

"I heard you got kicked out of Desert Oasis."

"How the fuck did you hear that?"

"Sam Cook."

"I told you to stay away from the Cooks, Jasper," the woman across the room piped up, dropping a heavy box on top of another before walking purposefully toward them. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"This is Eleanor," he clipped. "My fiancée. These are my parents. John and Pam."

"Hello," she offered tightly, her eyes roaming throughout the room. She could see a gun tucked away in the far corner. Jasper hadn't been joking.

"So he found you in Britain," Pam continued, immediately picking up on her accent as she circling her. "Do you work in the palace?"

"No," she replied, meeting her gaze.

"What is it you do, Eleanor," she pressed, brushing her light brown hair out of her eyes, and crossed her arms. "My understanding was that Jasper was simply _so_ busy working with the British Intelligence, and then the palace, to speak to his parents or visit in the three years he's been there. Now he turns up late at night with a pretty young girl claiming to be he has a fiancee. Please, tell me how you met my son. My son who was so hellbent on proving that he was too good for the lifestyle that we have given him."

"I'd hardly call this a lifestyle," she answered, stepping away from Jasper. "Constantly moving about like gypsies? Stealing and conning people out of their hard earned money and belongings? Yes, that sounds exactly like the ideal life."

"Eleanor-" he said, grasping her elbow.

"No, I don't work in the palace," she continued, her tone cold as ice. "I _live_ in it."

She allowed him to pull her back. Jasper draped his arm protectively across her shoulders as she watched the wheels turn in John and Pam's heads, putting two and two together.

"You're going to marry a Princess?" John said in disbelief.

"Yes," he replied. "I came here to let you know that _we're_ officially done. There's going to be a lot of changes, and there will be MI5 agents poking around here to make sure that the journalists that will most likely also be poking around here _Do. Not. Find. Anything_. I figured I'd give you that piece of information if you two need to disappear. _Again_. You won't be welcome in Britain. Our wedding, or the palace."

Pam opened her mouth to reply, but Jasper had grabbed her arm and pulled her out the front door before she could spit out another word. He had opened the door for her and she knew well enough not to protest. She clambered in and he slammed the door the second she had righted herself. Jasper was in the car and had it started in the blink of an eye and pulled out onto the road; tires screeching on the pavement.


	7. A knavish speech sleeps in a fool's ear

Neither spoke a word the entire way back to Catherine's. Jasper had bolted from the car and into the house before she had the chance to even unbuckle her seatbelt, leaving her alone and stunned in the driveway.

It was then the concern began to bubble up inside her- it was so unlike him to leave her unattended in such a public place. Her concern quickly turned to a surprising rush of fear. _Did he regret proposing to her?_ While yes, it was an idiotic gesture on his part and far, far too soon, if it at all was necessary. He had willingly given up everything he had ever known for this. For her. Jasper's record would need to stay impeccably clean from this moment forward; the palace couldn't afford another scandal, and Eleanor herself wasn't entirely sure if he would keep his nose clean for the rest of his days.

There was also the matter of the King's murder that needed to be considered. Until there was a significant breakthrough in his and Liam's research, their engagement would have to be kept secret. They could carry on as they used to- Ted Pryce had turned a blind eye to him sleeping in her bed and she'd make damn sure he'd look the other way once more if he knew what was good for him. She couldn't tell Liam, and she certainly couldn't tell her mother.

She considered cutting their trip short and returning to England. He had given up so much for her, and had even faced his parents. And she had been so, so incredibly selfish; he'd cross the desert for her if she asked him to.

The least she could do to make it right was admit that she too was in love with him.

Eleanor slowly exited the vehicle and slipped back inside the house.

"Eleanor? Is everything alright?" Catherine asked softly, leaning against the bannister.

"I'm sorry for Jasper's behaviour," she announced as she kicked off her heals and left them lying in the middle of the entry way.

"He's locked himself in his room," replied Catherine, her voice careful as if she didn't want to breech the subject. It was then Eleanor realised that Catherine was most likely in on Jasper's proposal scheme, and likely assumed that she rejected him.

"We went to see his parents," she sighed. "It didn't go well, and that's why he is in a foul mood."

Her jaw dropped. "He took you to John and Pam's?"

"Interesting people," she said nonchalantly. "I said yes, by the way. If that's what you're wondering," she added warily.

Catherine exhaled, and smiled softly before she pinched the bridge of her nose. "It truly is amazing that Jasper turned out normal."

Eleanor snorted. She didn't think that anyone could be as messed up as she was, until she met Jasper Frost. "If that's your story, I suppose. While I do appreciate your hospitality, I think I am cal going to call home and ask that the jet be brought, and take us back to England tomorrow."

"Of course," she nodded. Eleanor headed to the staircase. "Thank you for being kind to him, Eleanor. He didn't have many friends growing up. And the ones he did have were not very good people."

Eleanor hesitated, but ultimately chose not to reply. Instead, she nodded her head in acknowledgement, and beelined to her room. She changed out of her dress into a pair of black yoga pants and tank top before heading to Jasper's room.

To her relief, the door was unlocked. As angry as he could possibly be, she knew he would never purposefully shut her out. Eleanor slowly pushed it open without knocking and found him sitting on the small patio, facing the backyard with the lights off, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. He didn't move or make any indication that he heard her enter. Eleanor tentatively sat down on the edge of his bed and folded her hands in her lap.

"It occurs to me that I've been very selfish," she began softly, her tone just loud enough for him to hear her. "I've had myself convinced that you'll fuck whatever this is up. ' _Why'_ might you ask? When have things ever worked in my favour, Jasper? This is just a self-preservation reflex that I've developed over the years. Because everyone I've ever known has let me down. Including you.

"I'm sorry for how your parents treated you tonight, Jasper. It was like you were an old business associate they hadn't expected to see. And maybe that's how it was- I don't know much about that part of your life, and I shouldn't have expected you to unfold that to me over a number of days. It must be very hard for you to be here, after telling me that you didn't want to come back. Especially after what happened between you and _her_.

"I didn't realise until tonight, when you left me in the car just now- how much effort that you've put into this. Into trying to be a better person. You could have stolen from me, and you didn't. The opportunity presented itself again, and you still didn't. And you brought back my goddamn earrings and told me that you loved me, and that you did not expect me to say it in return. And you should have! Any normal person would have!

"What kind of person doesn't say I love you back, and then sleeps with them? I have a lot that I need I work through, too. And you're the most difficult one.

"I knew how I felt about you the first night we slept together. Back when you told me you had a sex tape- and it scared me because of course that would happen. I feel something a little more than disdain for someone, and of course they would claim to have a sex tape of me. I hadn't felt _that_ before. And you stayed. I didn't feel like I deserved it, and I still don't. But what I do know is that I do love you, Jasper Frost." She said passionately to the back of his head. He didn't move a muscle during her speech, nor did he say anything in the several minutes following it. His burnt out cigarette fell from his limp fingers.

Eleanor let out the breath she was holding and swallowed. She had bared more to him in that moment than she had to anyone else for several years.

"I'll leave you alone." She said lamely and rose to her feet and shuffled to the door. "I'm going make a call and have the plane here for dawn."

Still, he said nothing. He hadn't moved a muscle.

She exited the room without another word, and entered her own and picked up her mobile off the bed and dialled Pryce.

"Hello, Your Highness."

"I need the plane here for 0900. I'm coming back early."

"Of course, Princess. I'll let transportation know immediately."

She disconnected the call without another word. Her mobile slipped from her fingers and she fell sideways on the bed and stared out the window.

It was out there. She had said it, and he had stonewalled her in return.

Eleanor extended her left hand and examined the ring that sat on her finger. She thought she would never get married. She was too far gone for someone to love; too difficult to get along with on a good day; let alone be the kind of person that someone would even want to spend the rest of their lives with.

And it appeared that Jasper Frost had realised it, too. She suddenly regretted not bringing any of her drugs with her; cutting cold turkey would be a challenge in itself, and she would have given her right arm for a joint in that moment.

"Say it again." He demanded from behind her.

Eleanor jumped; she hadn't heard him come in. She looked wearily over her shoulder at him. He closed the door behind him and pressed his back against it.

"Say. It. Again." He repeated, staring her down.

"I love you," she mumbled.

"Again."

"I love you."

He took one step toward her and slowly began to unbutton his shirt. "Take off your clothes."

She nodded, and righted herself on the bed and stood. He took another step toward her, and let his dress shirt fall into a puddle of white fabric on the floor. Her tank top soon joined it, as did the rest of their garments.

"Do you know how beautiful you look, wearing _only_ the things that I've given you?" He firmly grasped her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "I love you, too."

* * *

Eleanor slid her engagement ring off and placed it in the interior pocket of her bag, shortly before they embarked on their journey back to England. Jasper had changed back into a black suit and tie.

It was well after midnight when they touched down in Britain, and they weren't expecting a reception. A car from the palace would be awaiting them on the runway to bring them back, and the bubble that they had shroud themselves in over the past few days would burst the second she set foot on Royal soil. He wouldn't be Jasper her fiancé He would once again be Jasper, Liam's bodyguard.

They had agreed to admit they had patched things up, and were going to hold off on anything until they had sorted out the mystery surrounding the murder of the King and their brother. They were going to push for another paternity test, and if it did end up being that they were the children of King Simon, Liam would ascend the throne and do a complete overhaul of the monarchy, with her shadowing behind him. They would deal with it as a team, just like they had originally planned.

He wanted to find out who killed her father, for her. And for Liam. She needed to better herself, and find a place in the monarchy that was worthwhile. Perhaps she would take Robert's vacant post as the Royal charity ambassador.

"Welcome home, Princess," Jasper murmured, his hand grazing over hers. She turned her head to look at him, her expression stoney. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Where is it I'm sleeping tonight, Your Highness?"

It was then she smirked. "I suspect you won't be sleeping much tonight, Mr. Frost. What with the time change, and all the work you need to catch up on."

"I'm sure I'll manage," he replied as the Steward entered the cabin, eyeing them carefully.

"Your Highness," he bowed. "Mr. Frost. We'll be opening the doors for you momentarily, there's a car from the palace just pulling up for you now."

"Thank you, Tom," Jasper acknowledged as they rose to their feet. She gathered her jacket and held her bag close to her body. It was carrying precious cargo, after all. They stood side by side as the door opened and the stairs dropped slowly to the pavement. A palace guard stepped out of the unmarked car waiting at the foot of the stairs and opened the door expectantly. She kept her head down and stepped out into the cold, wet English weather.

"Your Highness," he acknowledged. She nodded and slid into the back seat of the car. Jasper got in the front.

"Hey, Dan," he acknowledged; his false accent back in full effect.

"Jasper," he replied, smirking. Eleanor fought the urge to roll her eyes; she knew full well that the help had loose lips with each other, and he had definitely been caught more than once entering her bedroom at night, only to reemerge tired and disheveled the next morning on the security tapes.

Eleanor busied herself on her phone, catching up on various e-mails as Dan briefed Jasper on the happenings over the last four days that they had been gone.

"So you've been reassigned back to the Princess, eh?"

"No, just temporarily. I'll be back with the Prince tomorrow. She wanted to blend in with the younger crowd and she very well couldn't do that with James now, could she?"

Eleanor snorted from the back seat. "I do have ears, you know," she called through the divider.

"Apologies, Your Highness." Jasper replied. He didn't sound sorry at all.

"Yes, well, we'll see about that now won't we Mr. Frost?" She muttered, loud enough for him to hear, and drove her knee into the back of his seat.

 _"Jesus, Eleanor_ -" he cursed loudly, jerking forward.

"Sorry, I thought I saw a spider," she quipped, not looking up from her phone.

"Would you like me to pull over and check, _Your Highness_?" Dan asked dryly, emphasising her title purely for Jasper's benefit.

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

"I'll have the footmen bring your bags up in the morning, _Princess_ ," Jasper announced as they pulled up in front of the palace. "If that's alright. You did mention you were tired."

"That will be fine," she replied as he extended his hand and helped her out of the car. "I can see myself to my own room, thank you."

He arched a solitary eyebrow as she placed her hand in his and stepped out of the vehicle.

"I insist, Your Highness," he murmured as Dan tore off up the drive to the garage. "You're not going to make me sleep alone in the staff quarters, are you?"

"Of course not," she said easily as they slipped through the front doors and headed toward her bedroom. "But I do like to see you squirm, Jasper. You, realise that you can't sleep with me every night, yes?"

"That did occur to me," he replied, unbuttoning his suit jacket.

Eleanor pushed open the double doors to her bedroom and immediately stopped dead in her tracks. Someone had done a deep clean of the place in her absence, and scrubbed every surface free of drugs and alcohol.

"It's still here," said Jasper, pointing to the decorative box on the coffee table. "Your booze is _actually_ in the liquor cabinet _under_ the birdcage. Instead of on every other surface of this room."

"Pray tell, how is it you know this?" She asked, rounding on him.

Jasper shrugged out of his jacket and dropped it on the chair, and strode toward her, a small smirk played upon his lips.

"Really, Jasper?" She said, clearly exasperated.

"Take your ring out of your purse," he demanded. Eleanor narrowed her eyes, and slowly unzipped her clutch and withdrew the ring from its spot in the interior pocket. "And put it back on."

She did as she was told. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, and rested his forehead against hers.

"Whatever we found there- I don't want to lose it in the morning," he whispered in a rare moment of vulnerability. He held her left hand tightly in his.

Eleanor's eyes closed; a fresh wave of anxiety rolled over her. She didn't want to lose it, either. But she knew for the sake of the situation at hand that they'd have to stay low key. Could she really pretend that he meant nothing more to her than being just her brother's bodyguard, across the room? Wearing her engagement ring in the dark of the night? She'd have to purchase something else to wear throughout the day.

She would have to mark him as her own; somehow, some way.

His lips sought out hers, desperate for her to confirm his plea.

" _We won't_ ," she whispered urgently, pulling away and sat on the edge of her bed and put her head in her hands. "And more lies to cover it up."

Jasper sat in the chair across from her and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, and closed his eyes.

"I'm going to shower and go to bed," she said finally. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked purposefully to her closet and stepped inside. She turned at the entrance to find his eyes on her, just as she expected. Eleanor leaned against the frame and looked at him expectantly. Jasper rose to his feet, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"You're going to have to renovate this drug den," he said casually. "I mean this isn't suited to _our_ _tastes_ -"

"Oh please," she said, clearly amused. She pulled him in by his tie and slammed the door shut behind him, pressing the length of her body firmly against his, her lips centimetres away from his own. "No, we'll be moved to a different wing. But that won't happen for a long while so you're just going to have to deal with it, _Jasper from Nevada_."

His hands planted themselves firmly on her waist, keeping her firmly in place against him in the dim lighting of the closet. She could feel that stupid smirk of his against her lips, and she wanted to do nothing more than slap it off of his face.

Unfortunately for her, he'd probably enjoy it too much.

"You'll at least clear a spot for me in here, Your Highness?" He pushed his hips against hers.

Her fingers clutched the collar of his dress shirt tightly. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and she had every intention of making him pay for it later. Eleanor slowly licked her lips, ghosting over his in the process. He leaned forward intending to deepen their kiss. Instead, she pulled away and lifted her top over her head before dropping it into a careless heap on the floor.

Eleanor crossed her arms across her chest as his fingers fluidly undid the buttons on his shirt, and shrugged it off with his undershirt. He took a step toward her, and she turned on her heel and slid open the door in the wall that led to her expansive bathroom.

"You might get a shelf in here," she said conversationally as she turned on the hot water in the large walk in steam shower and shut the glass door. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back to him, his lips attacking her neck.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna break that in right now." He growled against her. Her eyes fluttered shut, losing herself in the feeling of his rough hands on her overheated flesh.


	8. Men's evil manners live in brass

**A/N:** I've stolen a healthy amount from the last few episodes to try and keep everything fluid, to an extent. Let me know what you think!

* * *

"Welcome home, Your Highness." James Hill's voice broke through her sleep filled haze. The arm that was draped over her stomach tightened as she struggled to find her way out of her blankets. "And Mr. Frost," he added, noticing the former's clothing draped over the back of her couch.

Eleanor tiredly raised her head to see her bodyguard standing expectantly in front of her end table, holding her tray of morning tea, not at all attempting to hide the smug look on his face. She pulled the blankets over Jasper; he had apparently decided at that precise moment he didn't care who saw him in her bed. Or perhaps he just knew that James could be trusted.

"Mr. Hill," she said carefully, rising to her feet. "Not a word to anyone about this," she waved her hand at the pile of clothing and the man in her bed.

"Of course. And that ring on your finger, too, Princess?" He nodded to her left hand.

If she wasn't awake before, she definitely was now.

"Yes, of course," she stuttered, hastily pulling it off and shut it safely away in her bedside table. Jasper laughed from somewhere within the tangle of blankets on her bed.

She fought the urge to throw his pillow at him.

"The Queen is hosting a dinner tonight in honour of Prince Robert. The members of his Platoon will be there. Your presence is expected, as is your brother's," he explained. Eleanor sunk down into one of her chairs and began to fix herself her tea, her hands shaking. The china rattled in her fingers; apparently sound finally warranted Jasper's attention as he hastily got out of bed as James pulled it from her fingers and set it down on the side table. He poured in just the right amount of milk into her tea, and instructed her to let it settle before she picked up again. Jasper hastily pulled on his slacks and button down behind her.

"I believe the Prince will need to be roused within the next hour," he reminded him, "it's a bit earlier than usual, but I figured you'd appreciate the wake up call before the rest of the staff started." He left without another word.

"Do you think Boone will be there?" He asked quietly, sitting across from her and slowly began to tie his tie.

She shook her head and reached for her tea. "Of course not, but I'll ask about him regardless. I'll mention it to Liam."

Jasper shrugged back into his jacket and checked his reflection in her mirror. "I need to go," he sighed. "I have to go get my things out of my room, and it's on the other side of the palace."

"It never occurred to me that you stayed there," she said softly, taking a sip and set her mug back down as he leaned forward to kiss her.

"I stayed here a fair bit too," he reminded her, nipping her ear in the process.

"Mm," she moaned, pulling back. "Get out. Someone will see you if you're here any longer."

"Of course, Your Highness," he said seriously.

"I'm going back to sleep," she waved him off as she climbed back into her bed. "Have a good day at work, or whatever it is they say."

"I think that just might be the nicest thing you have ever said to me," he replied airily, standing over her as she re-situated herself. "I love you."

A small smile spread across her features and beckoned for him to lean down and kiss her goodbye. He was more than happy to oblige.

He pulled away, and left without another word.

She should have known better; sleep wouldn't return easy.

Defeated, the princess dragged herself out of bed and began to get ready for the day; dressing in a pair of black, leather leggings, a simple black jumper, and dutifully did her make-up. She rummaged around in her drug box out of habit, and surprised herself by not being the least-bit inclined to ingest anything. Eleanor quickly downed her lukewarm tea and decided that a visit to the Queen would be the first order of business before she began to try and sort out what she was going to wear that evening, and to speak to Liam about sussing out some details of Brandon Boone's dismissal and disappearance.

Eleanor pulled open her door. "Do you know where my mum is, James?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

"I believe Her Majesty is in The Red State Room, Princess."

"Thank you," she said, and closed the door behind her and headed purposefully down the hallway.

"Four days in the desert sun, and I think it's quite possible you're more pale now than you were when you left, Eleanor," her mother greeted as she approached.

She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she stood in front of her desk, and crossed her arms. "What's this about a dinner tonight? With Robert's platoon?"

The Queen sighed. "We've put this off for long enough."

"I don't see the point in this. It's ripping open an old wound for all of us. And them too," replied Eleanor, lowering herself into the chair across from her desk.

"It's the least we can do," she chided. "It's happening, and you'll be there. Now, tell me about your trip to Las Vegas. You're back awfully early."

She sighed. "We talked."

Helena looked at her pointedly, gesturing for her to continue.

"We're not starting anything," she continued, looking at her fingers.

"And yet he slept in your room last night. I'd say that's a marginal improvement from the situation you were in before you left."

Eleanor scowled. "I want that camera removed from my doorway."

"You know that isn't going to happen," she snapped, "Now quit playing coy and tell me what's going on with you two. Does he need to stand down from your brother's detail?"

"No," She confirmed. "I told you. Nothing is happening."

The look on her mother's face told her she still didn't believe her. She raised her eyebrows, folded her arms, and stared right back into her identical hazel gaze.

"Morning mum, Len," Liam announced, strolling in, thankfully alone.

"Liam," she acknowledged warmly.

"Mum, what the hell with this dinner?" He announced, dropping beside his sister.

She glared at him. "It's the least we can do, Liam."

"As if it isn't already hard enough," he snapped back, leaning forward.

"I just told her that," Eleanor cut in irritably, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms. "But then again, _my opinions never seem to matter-_ "

"-Eleanor, you know that's not true!"

She rolled her eyes and stood. "If that's your story. What time are we to be in the dining room?"

"For five o'clock," she instructed. "And for god sakes, dress like you have some shred of decency left."

Eleanor bunched her hands into fists as she left the room without another word. Thankfully, her room was vacant when she returned. She tossed open her drug box and shook its contents out on the table, and picked up a joint and lit it without hesitation. Her eyes fluttered shut as the dank smoke swirled from between her lips towards the ceiling.

She felt horrified. She hadn't properly thought of Robert in days. She had mentioned him in passing, but her thoughts never stayed focus on her brother. She had vowed she'd never let his memory fade away. Robert had been her closest confidant; more than often they were closer than she and Liam.

After the first time she had slept with Beck, Robert had found her crying in a public toilet in the palace. That led to Beck having a broken nose, courtesy of the Crown Prince for defiling his baby sister. It didn't matter, because she ended up in his bed many times afterward, neglecting to tell her brother about her future conquests with his best friend on purpose to save such a beautiful face.

She wondered what his opinion on Jasper would have been. Robert had always been fiercely protective of her, and had been the one who started the 'Eleanor's bodyguard is a temporary position' rumour. So many of them had been sacked for looking at her suggestively before she had reached the tender age of 18.

Unbeknownst to him, the only one she had actually slept with was Jasper Frost. It wasn't for lack of trying for some of them, she usually had them fired for being for what she had deemed incompetent; or for ratting her behaviours out to the King and Queen. Others had quit because they simply hadn't bargained for walking in on the Princess of England snorting coke in her knickers, or for escorting an unhealthy number of male models from her bedroom.

They had all envisioned something more exciting and revolutionary than coming to the aid of the drug addicted Princess who would never be Queen.

She stubbed out her roach and and pushed open her curtains, watching the small group of tourists be carted up to the palace on the 'official' tour. She had narrowly avoided several run ins with them, one of the lads who conducted the tours had a nasty habit of straying from the approved route in hopes of getting his group a glimpse of a wild Royal; which in turn would garner him some serious tips by the end of the day.

The King had been more than happy to oblige and pose for a few photos. The rest of the family, save for Robert on occasion, hadn't been so generous.

She eyed her closet carefully, debating on if she should actually have Jasper's belongings brought to her room from the staff quarters.

No, that would cause too much attention and gossip, she reasoned with herself. She would have to buy him new ones instead. She had no idea what size he wore, and she wasn't about to go about asking, either. Sighing, she realized she'd have to go down there herself.

"James," she hollered, turning to the door.

"Yes, Princess?" He asked cautiously, stepping into her room.

"Take me to the staff quarters," she instructed as she picked up her mobile. "Mr. Frost has something of mine in his room, and I'd like to retrieve it."

"Of course, Princess. Follow me."

She nodded and followed him down into the tunnels; the fastest way to the North Wing of the palace.

"Did he take something from you?" He asked carefully.

"No," she said quickly. "I let him borrow ... something," she said absentmindedly as she looked down at her vibrating mobile to see an incoming text from the man in question.

 _Where are you?_

She rolled her eyes and slid it back into her pocket without answering. The sooner he learned that he didn't need to know her coordinates every waking moment of the day, the better.

James punched a code into the keypad at the end of the corridor and opened the door for her. She stepped inside, taking in her surroundings. She couldn't remember the last time she had set foot in the North Wing; she never had a reason to. Her mother had forbade it when they were growing up.

"Here, Princess." He halted in front of a door at the end of the corridor and she pushed it open.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting. The room was decorated in rich creams and navy blues, with a few pieces of art on the walls. There was an en suite bathroom which she peeked in and took photos of what he had stacked in the shower so she could have them purchased. Next, she hauled open the closet and checked the sizes on the suits he had inside as well as his jeans.

Just as she was about to close the closet door, the shadow of a photo stuck to the inside of the opposite door caught her eye. Frowning, she pulled it open, and gasped when she saw a picture of the two of them at the garden party. Rather, it was a photo of her at the garden party, with him very clearly positioned in the background. Her expression softened considerably as she put it back on its tack and silently closed the doors.

It was then she opened her messages, snapped a quick photo of herself in his room, and sent it back without a caption.

"Let's go," she announced.

"Did you get what you needed, Princess?"

"Yes," she tapped her pocket conspiratorially and allowed him to lead her back to her room.

She had some calls to make.

* * *

At four o'clock she found herself standing in her closet, pulling on a deep burgundy lace dress, once again wearing just the earrings that Jasper had purchased for her. She had straightened her hair and kept her makeup simple. She had sent Jasper's measurements to her personal shopper, who in turn dropped off several new suits and casual clothes to the Princess without question. They now currently sat on a temporary mobile rack in the far corner of her closet, surrounded by several shopping bags of various pieces of clothing, accessories, and toiletries.

She hoped that he didn't see her as being intrusive. He hadn't replied to the selfie she had sent him earlier, but she could see from his read report that he had definitely seen it.

She was trying, too. And this was the only way she knew how.

With one last look in her mirror, she donned her stilettos and opened her bedroom door. She nodded to James, who led her to the reception hall. Her mother and Liam were waiting with Ted and Jasper, respectively. She felt Jasper's eyes on her. She kept her head down, not wanting to draw any more attention to their situation at hand.

"You look lovely, Len," Liam praised.

"Who designed that dress?" Her mother inquired, inspecting the delicate lace overlay.

Eleanor smiled. "I did."

"This is one of yours?" She said, clearly surprised as she walked slowly around her daughter. It was then she looked up to meet Jasper's heated gaze from across the room. He nodded appreciatively.

"Yes," she confirmed, reaching for the scotch decanter. While he might be the master of deception, she was not. She was jittery and only two things would be able to calm her down. The first was currently indisposed, so she fell back on alcohol to take the edge off.

"Do you think Boone will be here?" She asked quietly.

Liam shook his head. "No. Didn't he tell you he wanted to disappear?"

"You are right," she confirmed, meeting Jasper's eyes over the rim of her glass.

"So what's going on there?" He asked, nudging her shoulder with his. "You cut your little trip awfully short."

"We said what needed to be said. There was no need to draw it out," she said, closing her eyes.

"He's pretty tight lipped about what happened, too. But you seem to be on good terms again. You're not killing him with your eyes anymore," he observed. "He's trying, Len. He does care about you."

"I know how he feels about me, Liam," she snapped, slamming her glass down. "Why is it so hard-"

"Your Majesty? The men from Prince Robert's Platoon have arrived," Ted cut in, effectively ending any argument that was about to arise.

Liam and Eleanor flanked their mother as six men in uniform entered the room and bowed to them politely. She quickly noted that Boone was not among them. She did recognise a few of Robert's former friends amongst the group, and she forced them a small smile as they greeted each other.

"Princess, it's lovely to see you again," said a man named Harry. He had been at the palace several times.

"Hello, Harry," she murmured as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry this has taken so long. So much..."

"We understand. We're grateful that you still wanted to see us, at all. This must still be very hard for you."

All she could do was nod; a lump was quickly forming in her throat and she quickly had to excuse herself.

She could hear his feet on the tile behind her, but she didn't stop until she was well out of earshot of the others. His hands were on her shoulders in a second, pulling her to his chest as her sobs rocked her slender frame.

"I thought I could do it, but I can't," she whispered desperately. "It still hurts, Jasper. He was my best friend. He was my only friend." she said fiercely.

"He would be proud of the woman you've become in such a short period of time," he murmured in her ear as he steadied her against the wall, keeping her upright. "They're here to share memories with you, not to make things worse. You can't keep running from this."

All she could do was nod as she buried her face in his chest.

"You look beautiful," he offered, leaning back and brushed a few strands out of her face, and forced her to look at him. "But you have to pull it together, Eleanor. He wouldn't want you to get like this at the mention of his name. That isn't goddamn a way to live."

She shot him a dirty look and extracted herself from his arms. "Don't go telling me how I should be living my life, Jasper."

"You know damn well I'm not doing that," he snapped back. "Every time you disagree with me you get so defensive-"

"Len? Len, are you alright?" Liam called as he rounded the corner.

They sprung apart. He arched an eyebrow at the two of them. "Just friends," he said slowly.

Eleanor stared straight ahead as Jasper looked at her, gauging her reaction. "The best of friends," he said, his tone even.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow at her twin, challenging him.

"You two are so messed up," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Come back. We're sitting soon. You can conspire about your _friendship_ later."

She moved away from Jasper and followed Liam into the dining room. They took their spots at the head of the table, next to their mother. Thankfully, Liam had given her the end seat so she wouldn't have to sit next to someone she wasn't familiar with.

Eleanor picked at her salad, and then her chicken, her appetite suddenly gone as the conversation flowed freely around her, with everyone sharing their stories of Robert on deployment, and how kind he had been to the locals while they had been stationed in the Middle East. Robert would have made a great king, more so than she and Liam put together.

Unlike Liam, he had been groomed for it from the day he was born.

Liam had been thrust into it without warning, dragging her in with him in the process. She never wanted to be the face of the monarchy. She had a reputation for being unpredictable, unreliable, and mouthy. She was not heir material. Liam had grown so much in the months following their father's death, she couldn't help but be proud of him.

At least one of them was doing something somewhat worthwhile.

If anyone could make this pathetic excuse of a monarchy relevant and positive again, it would have been Robert. Now, it was up to Liam.

"I'll be taking over Robert's duties as charity ambassador," she piped up finally. "The spot's been vacant for almost six months. Someone needs to do it."

"He spoke very highly of your dedication," one of the nameless men said fondly from across from her.

"I hope I can do him to justice," she murmured, locking her eyes with her mother. To her surprise, she nodded her approval.

After all, it was about time she took control of something positive.

"Didn't you and Robert have plans to start a transition house for women?" She added.

Eleanor nodded, her cheeks reddening. "We did. We were supposed to start when he came back from deployment…"

Helena's lips pressed into a thin line. "If you need help, Eleanor-"

"-No!" she interjected, "I want to do this myself."

She fell silent, lost in her own thoughts as the conversation shifted to another topic around her, and politely excused herself shortly after, and retired to her room without another word.

* * *

Thankfully, she had been left alone to her own devices for several hours. She had taken the time to change into something she personally deemed more comfortable, and had spent the last few hours mindlessly browsing the Internet to see if there had been any photos of her in Las Vegas had emerged.

By some fluke, there had not been one confirmed sighting of her. Several unconfirmed false reports of her being in a few nightclubs and casinos, but nothing alluding to her being at Top of the World with Jasper. Nor had there been any mention of the incident that had occurred in the jewelry store.

She heard his footsteps coming down the hall toward her room and she set her iPad down next to her on her bed, and watched her door expectantly. Sure enough, he pushed the doors open without knocking and closed them behind him. He had changed out of his suit and back into a pair of jeans, charcoal grey jumper, and a black bomber jacket.

"So, you gonna tell me what you were doing in my room?" He asked, stopping at the foot of her bed.

Eleanor shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said dismissively.

He said nothing, but the look he gave her said that he clearly did not believe a single word that fell from her lips. He took out his mobile, opened his messages, and showed her the photo she had snapped earlier in front of his bed. "So what you're telling me is that this isn't you, right there, in front of my bed, in the staff wing?"

She shrugged and slid off of the bed, pulled open her fake armoire, and stepped inside. She looked over her shoulder, beckoning him to follow. "I was getting your sizes. I very well couldn't ask them to bring your things here," she explained, pointing to the long rack and several shopping bags on the other side of the room.

"So, you figured that the most logical solution was to have someone go out and buy new ones," he smirked, leaning against the door frame.

"You could just say thank you, you know."

"I need you to come with me somewhere," he interrupted.

"Where?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"It's to do with the investigation," he sighed. "These kids … they skateboard over on Warwick Row. I'm sure they've got a second camera stashed somewhere. Problem is, they're little shits who happen to have a soft spot for the Princess."

"So, you need me to come and convince them to give you a camera that they might have, that might possibly help you figure out who killed my father," she finished for him. He nodded. "Let me get changed." She said without hesitation.

He stepped out of the room and heard her rustling around inside, pulling on a pair of dark jeans, navy blue tank top, and black blazer. She grabbed a small crossbody bag and slung it over her body and joined him in her room. He eyed her appreciatively.

Jasper's arm wrapped around her waist as he led her from her room without another word, and down to the tunnels. They were silent as they walked out into the dark streets of London, and the other pedestrians paid them no mind as he led her further and further away from the palace.

"Wait here," he instructed, leading her into a secluded doorway. "Please," he added.

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Spencer Reid," she muttered.

"Look who's back, Janie," a young boy said smugly. "We're not giving you our spare camera, mate. We told you earlier. Did you bring some real cops with you this time?"

"I'm gonna ask you one more time," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'll give it back as soon as I upload the footage, or get you a brand new one. We're a lot more efficient at the palace, you know. You'll have to answer to tell someone more higher up than me if you tell me no again. I don't think she's gonna take no for an answer."

"Not efficient enough, apparently," the girl called Janie quipped, crossing her arms, eyeing him cautiously. "You lot already took our first camera, didn't reimburse us, and we had to go get another one!"

"You're not getting our camera, I don't care if you used to work for the Princess or not," Carl added, standing his ground.

"You asked for it," he sighed, and walked back over to where she was hidden in the shadows. He placed his hand in the small of her back and led her back over to the two teenagers, who were now currently staring at her, their jaws slack as the Princess in question strode toward them purposefully.

"Whatever you want for that camera, I'll make sure you get it," Eleanor offered, crossing her arms as Jasper stood smirking beside her.

"We put it somewhere where we shouldn't have," Janie admitted finally, turning to point at a steel beam, high over their heads.

"That's how I broke my arm; I couldn't get it down," the other boy admitted, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"Can you get up there?" She asked, turning to Jasper. "I can ring James or Liam for back up."

"Yeah, I should be able to," he said quickly, and hoisted himself up on the nearby fire escape without another word.

"We didn't believe him," Janie admitted to her. "We thought he was just some other dumb cop trying to get us to go away."

"Some days I wish he were," Eleanor replied.

"He's cute."

"He's not bad," she agreed, her eyes twinkling.

"So, about this reward," Carl cut in.

"Carl!" Janie exclaimed.

"Whatever you want, within reason," Eleanor confirmed. Carl grinned.

"Got it," Jasper called. She turned to see him shove it in the pocket of his jacket, and began his careful descent back down.

"Think about it, and we'll be back in a few days," she reiterated as Jasper rejoined her side. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the tiny GoPro, and handed it to her. She wordlessly placed it in her bag. Jasper raised his eyebrows as Carl gave him a blatant thumbs up. Eleanor snorted and turned to go, placing her hand tightly in his.

* * *

"This better have been worth it," she hissed as they slipped back into the tunnels. Jasper said nothing as he secured the gate behind them. He looked at her carefully, his expression guarded.

"But what if it is?" He asked softly. "You should go back-"

"I'm going to watch it with you," she said firmly.

Jasper exhaled and closed his eyes. "Will you please listen to me, for once?"

"No," she snapped. "We're watching this together. You've both kept me in the dark for the majority of your little investigation. If there's something on that tape, I'm going to need to see it. You can't shield me from everything you think might hurt me, Jasper. It's not healthy."

His eyes flashed dangerously. "I love you, and you know I want what's best for you-"

"I love you too, but that's not an excuse!" She shouted, pulling away from him.

"Keep your goddamn voice down," he snapped, grabbing hold of her arm. "Shut up, and come with me."

He pulled her deep into the underground boroughs of the palace; into parts she hadn't gone into for years until he stopped outside of an old utility closet. He thumbed a code into the keypad and pulled the door open, stepping aside for her to enter first.

The room was dimly lit by several computer monitors showing live security footage, and a desk lamp. Jasper locked the door behind them as she sat in the desk chair and took the camera out of her bag and handed it to him. He set it down on the table and opened the desk drawer to reveal several different sizes of USB cords. He found one that fit, plugged it in, and booted up the secondary computer. Her knees bounced in anticipation as she watched him work through adding the necessary drives to import the video.

"Last chance, baby," he whispered, hovering the mouse over the 'play' button.

"I'm not leaving," she confirmed. He clicked on it, and reached for the joystick to begin fast forwarding. She held her breath as she watched him breeze through hours and hours of footage of teenagers skating, until nightfall.

Her father eventually appeared on screen, and Jasper stalled the video down to regular speed, his knuckles white.

King Simon strolled across the pavement, only to stop abruptly when a vaguely recognisable voice called his name. He turned, and a small smile tugged at his lips as a man with salt and pepper hair slowly approached him from the shadows.

Every fibre in her being told her to look away, to leave that room, and never look back. To pretend that this wasn't happening. To live in blissful ignorance that yes, it had been Lucius who had killed her father in a fit of rage over threatening to disband the monarchy.

A pained, strangled cry fell from her lips as she watched the faceless man drive a knife into her father once. Twice. He pulled back, staggering as the King's face turned from shocked to pained as he fell to his knees. Jasper's arms wove around her shoulders; his lips in her hair as tears poured unwillingly from her eyes.

The Princess' jaw dropped in horror as her father's assailant turned around, revealing none other than Ted Pryce.

Jasper unwound one of his arms to pause the video as her small body shook with sobs. She felt like she was going to be ill.

"Bin," she choked out. Jasper reached for the small rubbish pail under the desk, and pushed it into her hands as she heaved up the contents of her stomach.

Ted was supposed to be the one to keep her father safe. To keep all of them safe. He had been a beacon of hope to them in the days since her father's passing, vowing to find out who did it if it were the last thing he did.

Ted believed in justice. Or so she had thought.

Instead, it was Jasper Frost.

Jasper, who came to her family with nothing but bad intentions and a pocket full of lies. It was Jasper who realised that the Princess and Prince weren't at all who the media portrayed them to be, and had a change of heart. It was Jasper who fell deeply in love with said Princess, and vowed to stop at nothing to prove himself to her, and to right all of his wrongs. To bring justice, and avenge their father. For her. And for Liam, too.

He reached forward and turned off the monitor so she wouldn't have to see the grainy image of her father lying on the pavement any more than she had to. He pulled the bin from her hands and set it back under the table so she wouldn't have to smell her own vomit, and pulled open the bottom drawer and pulled out a bottle of lukewarm water and a packet of tissues and began wiping the snot from her nose, and the tears from her eyes. Jasper unscrewed the cap to the bottle and passed it to her, making her drink to clean the taste out of her mouth.

Eleanor plucked a tissue from the plastic packet and wiped her mouth clean and dropped it unceremoniously into the bin. He straightened momentarily to pull a packet of gum out of the interior pocket of his jacket and handed it to her. She nodded, and popped it in her mouth, thankful that the feeling of the overpowering menthol rushing into her sinuses reminded her that she was not completely numb.

He pulled her to her feet and into his arms then, and into a bone crushing hug as the weight of what they had just seen fell on both of their shoulders. Eleanor felt something damp against her scalp, and she realised that he too, was silently crying. Her fingers clutched the lapels of his jacket so hard she could feel the teeth from the zipper cutting into her skin, and she found herself not caring.

"I love you. So much," he whispered hoarsely.

All she could do was nod into his chest. She couldn't find her words. Not yet.

"Let's get out of here."

Eleanor nodded again and he pulled her from the room and back into the damp tunnel. She collapsed against the stone wall as he secured his surveillance room; a harsh, undignified scream fell from her lips.

He stood back and let her let it out. They were so deep in the tunnels, he knew nobody would hear her.

Her sobs overtook her again and he pulled her back up on her feet, and threw her arm over his shoulder and held her tightly by the waist. She suddenly felt so, so tired.

However, it wasn't over. It was just beginning.


	9. My blood begins my safer guides to rule

They had made it back to her room without running into anyone. Eleanor had torn off her boots and blazer and collapsed into her bed, a fresh wave of sobs overtaking her as Jasper made sure to lock her doors and drew the curtains closed. He found her lighter and lit several candles in the room, shrouding them in a soft glow before he too stripped down to his jeans and t-shirt and climbed into bed with her, and held her close as everything she had kept bottled up since Robert's death poured out of her in the form of hot, salty tears and dry sobs.

He had no idea what to say to her to make it better. And she didn't want him to. Words weren't necessary in this moment. All she needed was him. And he, her.

They would show Liam and James their findings in the morning, and discuss their plan of action then. He already had a plan formulating in his mind, but he wasn't ready to share it with her just yet. Not until she had calmed down and was thinking more rationally.

He would leave it up to the twins to see if they wanted the The Queen involved.

She lost herself in the feeling of his large, warm hands that were currently rubbing small, soothing circles on her back. Eleanor couldn't remember the last time that someone had held her so tenderly, if at all. She reached up and wound her arm around his neck, pulling herself flush against his body. She needed him, but not in that way.

Not right now.

Whatever was happening between them in that moment was far more intimate than any amount of sex ever could be.

His fingers pushed her hair out of her face, and he tipped her chin up to look into her bloodshot eyes.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked quietly, brushing her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

"No," she whispered. "The only thing that is going to make this go away is time."

They fell back into a comfortable silence; exhausted, but too wound to sleep.

Soon, they shifted positions so that he was spooning her on top of the blankets, still fully clothed. As the morning light drew closer and closer, he left her momentarily to extinguish the candles and to use the washroom, giving her a few moments of peace to process what had happened. She took the opportunity to send Liam a quick message, informing him that Jasper had stayed with her that night, and that he was to come straight to her bedroom the minute he woke if he knew what was good for him.

She had just set her mobile on her nightstand when Jasper reemerged.

"You should try to sleep," he murmured, sitting next to her on the edge of the bed.

She shook her head. "I won't."

"Do you want me to get you a sleeping pill?"

She shook her head again. "No, I'll be fine. Liam will be awake in a few hours," she patted the spot next to her as she lay back down. "Don't leave me."

The double entendre behind her words didn't escape him. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

They had just fallen into an uncomfortable, light sleep when a loud pounding on her door jolted them awake. Eleanor struggled to sit up as Jasper bolted from the bed and and crossed her room in four long strides. He quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing a highly disheveled Liam, hastily dressed in a plain t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" He demanded, taking in his sister's heavily dishevelled appearance. It was painfully obvious to him that neither of them had gotten much sleep, if any, the previous night. They were both wearing the same rumpled clothing that they had worn out, and his sister's eyes were bloodshot.

"Liam? I love you," she whispered, rising to her feet.

"Did he hurt you?" Liam demanded, eyeing Jasper.

"No, quite the opposite," she murmured, taking his hands in hers.

"Len, you're scaring me," he said as she forced him to sit down next to her on the sofa.

She smiled sadly. "Jasper found the footage of dad's murder," she began, seeking out his eyes. "He showed me last night, Liam. We were right; it wasn't Lucius. It was Ted."

His expression faltered from shock to hurt. "Show me," he demanded. Eleanor looked tiredly to Jasper, who nodded.

"It's not easy to watch," she whispered as Liam gathered his twin into his arm and hugged her tightly.

"Why didn't you come and get me, right away?" He demanded as they separated, his hands on her shoulders.

She shook her head. "I just couldn't," she said tiredly. "It was too much. I needed time to process it." She could tell he was biting back his reply about having Jasper bring it to him instead, but he had clearly decided against it. "Take him down. Put it on a USB, and I'm going to show mum."

"Are you sure, Lenny?" Liam asked carefully.

Eleanor nodded, looking at her hands. "We all need to move on from this. Including her. Show James, too," she added.

"If that's what you want," Jasper said. "He's just outside your door."

"Please," she confirmed. "I can't look at it again. Not yet."

Liam enveloped her once more into a tight hug, before following Jasper from her room, shutting the doors tightly behind them. She heard their muffled voices exchange words with James Hill in the hallway, and soon, their footsteps disappeared together.

It was then she stood, and locked herself in her closet and showered and dressed herself for the day in a modest black dress with a low neckline, and headed out in search of her mother.

It was time to prove that she too, could put on a fake smile and pretend that everything was just fine.

* * *

"Good Morning, Your Highness."

She stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned. "Good Morning, Mr. Pryce," she replied. "Lovely weather we're having, yes?"

He nodded his agreement. "Yes. It's looking like the sun will be shining for The King's Cup, too, on the weekend. Your father would be very happy. He always did love the annual charity match."

She smiled then, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure he will be smiling down on all of us on Saturday," she agreed. "Where is Ophelia living again? I'll be in New York next month meeting with a few groups that Robert was an ambassador for. I was considering dropping in and say hello, if she'll have me."

His expression faltered at the mention of his daughter. "She was living on Varick Street, in Soho, the last I heard. She doesn't say much these days, unfortunately."

Eleanor nodded. "I'll send her an e-mail. Have a nice day, Ted." She waited for him to leave before continuing on.

She found the Queen in the Throne Room, sitting alone.

"Mum," she said evenly, taking her seat to her immediate left.

"Eleanor," she greeted, sighing, as she turned to her daughter, and immediately frowned. "Are you alright, darling? You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night." She pushed a stray hair out of her face, and cupped her cheek.

"I didn't," she admitted. "The time change," she lied, waving her hand nonchalantly as her phone dinged in the pocket of her dress.

She pulled it out to see a simple text from Liam: _It's on._

 _In the Throne Room with mum, meet us here, and bring the USB_ , she texted back, and pocketed her phone.

"Your trip to Las Vegas," Helena began carefully, "are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

Eleanor shook her head. "There's nothing to tell, mother. We agreed to start over. Slowly. Now just isn't a good time."

"You're still allowing him sleep in your room. Your personal shopper arrived at the palace last night laden down with racks of men's clothing. Spill, Eleanor."

"Jasper asked me to marry him, and I said yes," she said dryly, and pursed her lips and looked at her mother expectantly.

Helena rolled her eyes in response, clearly not believing a word that came from her mouth. "If you don't want to tell me, fine. But you need to be more subtle with your displays of affection to the help. You know how they like to gossip."

"Whatever," she muttered, looking down at her hands.

The doors banged open, and she flinched. Liam stormed in, looking equally as haggard as she did the previous night. James and Jasper trailed behind him, their expressions sombre. Liam's temper was more fierce than hers ever could be, and she was sure something had been smashed along the way. He made his way to her and she held out her hand expectantly. He pressed a black USB drive into the palm of her hand and closed her fingers around it and nodded.

"Liam?"

"I need to be alone for a while," he whispered, and left the room without another word.

"James, take my mother out of the palace, and bring a laptop. Show her what's on this USB drive." She instructed, standing.

"Of course, Your Highness," he took the USB drive from her and tucked it safely in the interior pocket of his jacket. "Your Majesty?"

"Eleanor, what's going on?" She demanded as she rose to her feet.

"You'll understand soon," she pleaded as Jasper took his place beside her, his hands folded behind his back as the Queen left with her security detail without another word.

* * *

"I have a plan," Jasper announced as she lounged on Liam's bed. The latter was currently pacing the length of his bedroom, his third glass of whiskey clutched tightly in his hands.

"Dominique Stewart told me that Ted's been collecting surveillance of us. At our worst. Her father is planning on showing it during the _King's Cup_ ," Liam prefaced.

She nodded slowly. "How do you know we can trust her?"

"She overheard them talking tonight, Len. Ted's the one who sent in the request to take down Robert's plane. They've gone mad from their lust for revenge. She told me everything, and she wants no part of it," he explained carefully, watching as her face fell at the mention of their brother's death.

"We just can't win today, can we?" She snapped, sliding off the bed and snatched his whiskey decanter and poured herself a glass and downed it a little too easily for Jasper's liking. She then poured herself another, and leaned against the wall by his fireplace.

"I know how to override the videotron at Wembley Stadium," Jasper said quietly. "We can show the people what Ted has done. Let the public handle it- blood gets on none of our hands, and we can all start to move on from all of this and try to start fixing this monarchy." His eyes met hers from across the room; the hidden meaning behind his little speech was not lost on her.

Liam followed Jasper's gaze to his sister, and suddenly everything clicked into place. "You won't resign from my detail until this has been seen through," he said, turning to Jasper who looked back at him, suddenly alarmed. "That's the agreement you two came to in Vegas, isn't it?" He demanded.

"Liam-" Eleanor began, but he cut her off.

"Len, you deserve to be happy. You've been sad for so long. Don't put that aside for this."

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Jasper will lose all access to all databases if it gets out," she whispered. "Conflict of interest."

"It's a good thing that the Queen Consort has full access to all security and military databases, then, isn't it?" Helena announced from the doorway as she silently slipped in, James Hill following closely behind her.

"Mr. Frost, your position in our family's detail is going to be terminated once this is all over," she continued. "I suggest you take good care of my daughter if you know what's best for you."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he confirmed. "Of course."

"Good, now that _that's_ dealt with, what the devil are we going to do about Ted Pryce?"

* * *

"Once this is all over, I recommend we promote James Hill to our head of security," Eleanor suggested to Liam and her mother once they were left alone. "He has a young daughter, and we keep him here enough as it is. Hire him a nanny for her and we can renovate the Head of Security apartments for them."

"I agree, he's been a great asset to us," Liam confirmed. "He's gone above and beyond without question since all of this occurred. It's the least we can do."

"Over twenty years with the Scotland Yard, mum. He's definitely qualified," she added. "We need someone that we can trust."

"These are all excellent qualities and points you both raise, but we also need to deal with Cyrus. Just because we've united under this cause doesn't mean that he is going to be," she warned.

"Mum, Cyrus doesn't give a shit what we do as long as we leave him out of it," said Liam. "Once he see's what Ted has done, and that someone new has been lined up, he'll stay out of it."

"That's not what I meant, Liam. He's not fit to be King."

"Well, that's not our fault, now, is it?" Eleanor snapped, throwing her mother a dirty look. "Maybe if you hadn't been out whoring about we wouldn't be in this mess, and Liam would be on the throne."

"Liam will be on the throne," she vowed. "Public approval of the monarchy is at an all time low because of Cyrus. However, public approval of you two, unfortunately, has never been higher. I saw that video, Liam, and it's inspiring the whole Commonwealth. Millions of people have seen it and are calling for a re-test of your blood. I think we're going to give it to them. I know in my heart that you're both Simon's children. The timing was all wrong with … Henry. I- we- need to make this right. Not only for our family, but for the monarchy, and the people."

The glass she was holding slipped through her hands, and shattered on the floor at her feet. "So, now you're saying our dad is actually our dad?"

Helena sighed dramatically and looked at the shattered crystal on the floor. "Yes. Your blood wasn't even tested. Cyrus and I thought that Liam wasn't fit to rule- and that you would follow through with disbanding the monarchy so we cooked up this scheme. Unfortunately Cyrus is Cyrus, and the whole thing was blown way out of proportion."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Liam inquired as he bent down and began helping Eleanor pick up the pieces of her shattered tumbler.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking. And a lot of drinking," she replied, slowly lowering herself down to help her children collect the shards. "Be careful," she added.

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she scrambled to her feet, and dropped the shards into the nearby rubbish bin. "Yes, well, I do a lot of drinking and thinking too, and you don't see me going about ripping apart our family, do you?"

"You've got to move on from that, Eleanor," she snapped back. "I'm trying, here."

Eleanor huffed and sat down at Liam's desk and crossed her legs.

"Besides, you just prefer to go flash your bits for the paps-"

"You've got to move on from that, Helena," she chirped sarcastically.

"Shut up, the both of you," Liam snapped, wiping his hands on his thighs and helped his mother back onto her feet. "Now get out before either of you break anything else. We have a big day tomorrow and I don't want to deal with either of you hungover. The cars will be here for twelve."

* * *

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Jasper asked as she sat quietly in the chair in front of her vanity, a glass of red wine sat untouched in front of her.

"One of us could die, do you know that? If this goes wrong? There's going to be over twenty thousand people in that stadium, and so few of us," she whispered, meeting his intense gaze in her mirror.

"I'm going to be with you," he replied. "I won't let anything happen. No one will touch you, I promise."

"I do believe you, Jasper, I really do," she replied, "but it isn't me I'm worried about. It's Liam. You know how he gets."

"James will be keeping an eye on Liam. He'll be safe, too. We're all going to bounce back from this."

"You can't promise me that," she stated matter-of-factly, reaching for her glass and took a long drink.

Silence fell over them once again. She often missed the control he used to have over her. It made her feel safe, in her own twisted way. Eleanor was so used to having so much freedom, it was almost refreshing to hear someone tell her what to do. To tell her no.

"Talk to me like you used to," she whispered, looking at her hands.

His back stiffened. "Things were different then," he whispered back. "We aren't those people any more."

"Lock the door, Jasper, and tell me what you want me to do," she said through gritted teeth.

He was silent for several minutes before he sighed and rose to his feet; her mattress groaning under the abrupt loss of his weight. He wordlessly moved across the room, and the sound of the locks clicking into place echoed throughout.

"Stand up," he commanded, his tone as cold as ice; he hadn't spoken to her that way in months.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she rose to her feet.

"Turn around," he continued tightly, stepping forward and slowly circled her. She turned to face him, her expression impassive. She could see it in his eyes; he needed her in that moment as much as she needed him. Jasper kept his eyes on her as he slowly undid his tie, pulled it from his neck, and dropped it on the floor. His blazer followed seconds later. "Take off your dress."

She reached behind herself, cinched the fabric in the middle of her back, and pulled the thick silver zipper down. Eleanor grabbed her left sleeve with her right hand and tugged, pulling it seamlessly from her body. She repeated the action with the other side until it was nothing but a pool of fabric around her ankles.

His eyes flickered briefly to hers before he drunk in the sight of her standing before him in nothing but a pair of dark blue knickers and a matching bralette. His fingers flew up to his neck and undid the buttons of his shirt until it too, floated to the growing pile of clothing on the floor.

"Undo my belt," he instructed. She stepped forward, holding his intense stare with one of her own as she effortlessly undid his leather belt, and pulled it from the waistband of his trousers, and sent it clattering to the ground. He leaned forward and grazed her lips with a faint tease of his tongue. "My pants, too."

Her nimble fingers freed the button from it's notch, and slowly dragged down his fly. She could feel his erection straining through his trousers against her thigh, and it only fuelled her on more. Her hand purposely brushed over him; his hips jerked involuntarily against her.

"Do you want me, Jasper from Nevada?" She whispered in his ear as she pushed his pants down his narrow hips.

Jasper stepped out of his trousers, leaving him in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs.

"I already have you," he growled into her ear as his hands ghosted over her backside, pulling her roughly against him. "You. Are. Mine. No one else's."

She wound her hands around his neck and nipped his chin as he effortlessly lifted her into his arms and deposited her on the bed.

He laid the length of his body next to hers and cupped her face in his hand and kissed her roughly, his whiskers scratching against her face. She knew her skin would most likely be irritated in the morning, and she didn't care in the least. His hand snaked into her hair, pulling her head back to grant himself more access to the tender flesh of her neck; his free hand trailed down between the valley of her breasts to between her legs.

"Take them off," he ordered, tugging the side of her knickers.

Eleanor pulled away from him and slid off the bed and stood at its helm and slowly slid the scrap of fabric down her slim thighs to the floor. She once more reached behind herself and undid the clasp to her bra, and slid it carefully down her arms and sent it too, sailing to the floor. She straightened up, completely exposed.

He lounged amongst her blankets, propped up on her pillows as he watched her walk slowly back around to him. Eleanor effortlessly climbed onto his hips, silently relishing in the feeling of him against her.

How could she have ever taken this for granted?

His hands came to a rest on her hips as she leaned forward, her hair shrouding them in darkness as she pressed her mouth to his. He moved his arms up, cupping her neck and back and flipped them over so he was hovering over her. He quickly removed his briefs, pulled her wrists over her head, keeping her in place as he sheathed himself inside of her with one deep thrust.

"Oh," she moaned at his abrupt intrusion to her body. Her eyes closed as his lips once again found her neck, careful not to leave any lasting marks. She'd likely kill him if he marked her.

She opened her legs further, granting him more access, her thighs holding his hips in place against hers.

"Say my name," he commanded breathlessly.

"Mmmhm," she groaned. "Jaspurrrr..." Her back arched as he began to pick up his pace, and released her wrists. Her hands flew to his hair, pushing it off of his forehead and dragged his mouth down to her own.

"I love you, baby," he grabbed ahold of her hips and flipped her over before sliding back in.

"I love you too," she said breathlessly, her fingers clutching the sheets as he moved against her. "I'm so close. Touch me," she demanded.

He let out a harsh breath and slowly slid his hand around her and came to a rest between her thighs, rubbing her where they were joined.

"Fuck," he groaned through his teeth as he thrust into her harder. "Wait for me."

A strangled moan fell from her lips as he removed his hand from her and picked up his pace; the sounds of skin on skin and their ragged breathing could only be heard.

He pulled her up against him, his lips searching out hers as his hand found his way back down once more as he released himself inside of her. Eleanor gripped the back of his neck so painfully he was sure that she was going to break the skin as she rode out the waves of her orgasm.

Jasper abruptly released her and she fell forward into a pile of hair and limbs onto her blankets, completely spent. Jasper collapsed next to her, his chest heaving as he looked at her, a tired, lazy smile on his face. She smiled breathlessly as she rolled on her stomach, and kissed him once more.

"I do love you," she said carefully.

"It makes me happy to hear you say that," he replied, rolling on his side and propped his head up on his elbow. "I know it's not easy for you to say that. Especially to me."

She smiled softly and lowered her head, clearly embarrassed.

He reached forward with his free hand and pushed her hair behind her ear. "We should get cleaned up, and at least try to sleep."

"I bought you fresh boxers," she declared, rising to her feet and held out her hand, smirking. "Come with me."


	10. The daughter and heir of a mongrel bitch

"Do you still have contacts with MI5?" Eleanor asked carefully as they lay in bed, her head on his chest.

"Mmhmm," Jasper replied tiredly.

"I need you to make a call," she said tonelessly.

That caught his attention. "Why?

"Ask them to secure Ophelia, and that boy she's been living with in New York. I have a bad feeling. Tell them to bring her somewhere safe, at the request of the palace, and have a jet sent to New York to bring them home. Whatever happens tomorrow, she deserves to chance to be with her father," she lamented, pulling back to look at him.

Jasper nodded, and slid out of bed. He found his mobile in amongst their discarded clothing, and sat on the edge of her bed with his back to her.

"Hey, Ellis. sorry it's so late; but it's urgent, and I need a favour," he began, and turned to her and nodded before wordlessly handing her his phone.

Eleanor flawlessly reiterated her request, begging for discretion. Ellis Morrow was charmed by her immediately, and advised them both that he would be in touch once Ophelia and Nick were secured by ground agents in the States and were awaiting departure.

"She isn't going to like this," Jasper stated, tossing his mobile on the nightstand and slid back into bed.

"No, I assume she won't. But she will understand. She'll be mid-flight by the time our video plays at the match. We will meet her on the Tarmac, and explain what's going on. Liam will be too busy dealing with the fallout. Someone needs to take precautions."

"If that's what you want," he sighed, settling in next to her. "I love you. Whatever happens tomorrow, remember that."

She nodded, turned out the lamp, and resumed her place in the crook of his arm.

* * *

Jasper had left her at the crack of dawn, citing that there were a number of security protocols that needed to be addressed by the whole team that were to be accompanying them to the field later in the day. She had tiredly sassed him something about security protocols and her body, only to have him throw a decorative pillow at her head before he disappeared into her closet to shower away the ' _stench of sex with the Princess_ ' and to find a fresh suit to wear.

She was dead to the world when he reemerged, and he didn't have the heart to wake her.

"Good Morning, Your Highness," James Hill called as he wheeled in her tea tray. Eleanor pulled the blankets away from her face and stared at him, her expression less than impressed at his intrusion.

"What time is it?" She demanded, pulling a stray pillow to her chest as he fixed her tea.

"Shortly after nine, Princess," he said politely as she dragged herself into a sitting position.

"How was your morning meeting?"

"It was fine," he gave nothing away. "Mr. Frost and I will be accompanying you to the stadium."

"Where is Mr. Frost?" She asked carefully.

"With His Royal Highness, Prince Liam," he arched an eyebrow, pressing the hot cup of tea into her hands.

Eleanor scowled, and dutifully drank her tea as he briefed her on the morning's events and advised her of their impending schedule. She picked up her iPad off of her nightstand and opened it to find several messages from Jasper, confirming that he had heard from Ellis and that Ophelia and Nick Roane were safely on an unmarked palace jet, en route back to England. They would arrive early in the evening.

She sent him a quick thank you, and advised him not to mention a word of it to Liam before tossing it back on the table.

"Is there anything that you need, Princess?" he asked carefully, breaking his professional demeanour. Eleanor handed off her empty tea cup and shook her head no.

"Just some time alone to get ready, please," she said quietly. "Everything is going to change today, James."

"That it is, Your Highness. But you're a strong young woman, and you'll be surrounded by people who care very much about you."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Hill," she said standing.

He nodded his confirmation. "Mr. Frost advised me that you've requested that Mr. Pryce's daughter and her boyfriend be brought back, following the threat of Jeffrey Stewart."

"That's right," she sighed. "Thank you, again. I'll go get ready now."

Eleanor moved in a daze. She showered, dried and straightened her own hair, did her make-up, and selected a dark red dress and black boots to wear- something she knew she'd be able to move quickly in if she ultimately had to; today was not the day for sky high stilettos. She chose a pair of larger sunglasses, just in case.

"ELEANOR?" Jasper hollered, a slight edge of panic to his voice as he pushed his way into her room.

"What the hell do you want?" She shouted back, poking her head out of the closet as she inserted a pair of diamond studs into her ears.

"Liam. He's gone. He's in the car with Ted. The gun I had in his room is gone."

She swore under her breath. "You have got to be kidding me," she muttered, storming out into the room. "You have _got_ to stop doing that."

"We need to go. Now."

"Yes, alright," she snapped, and grabbed her bag and sunglasses as he escorted her from her room, closing the door behind them.

"James is bringing the car around," he explained as they halted in front of the front doors to the palace. He gently took hold of her wrist, and pulled her to face him. "Whatever happens today- I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you alone for a minute."

"I know," she whispered. "I-I hope that we can do this. This needs to end. All of it needs to end, Jasper."

"And it will," he confirmed, pressing his lips to her forehead. "He's here. Let's do this."

She nodded again, and put her sunglasses on her face as he pushed open the front door and stepped out into the bright sunlight. Thankfully, they were just far enough from the palace gates that even if there were a crowd waiting, they wouldn't be able to come near them. Not by a long shot.

He carefully helped her into the black limousine, and sat next to her and pulled the curtains shut over the window next to him.

"It's uploaded on my phone," he said quietly. "All I have to do is plug it into the comm and override the Stewarts' video. Nothing is going to happen to anyone. Just Ted."

"If Liam hasn't already killed him yet," she said moodily.

"He hasn't," James piped up from the front seat. "They're due to arrive at the stadium within the next five minutes. There hasn't been a distress call sent. The driver of His Royal Highness' car has been silent."

Eleanor nodded, and Jasper laid his hand next to hers on the seat, his pinky finger brushing over hers. She didn't move an inch, or acknowledge his contact. He knew she was weary of the driver in the front, his eyes kept flitting back to the two of them in the back seat.

"There's a big turnout, Princess," James continued. "Ted and Liam are awaiting to exit their vehicle. We'll be pulling up momentarily. Mr. Frost will escort you to the Royal Box and I will join you once I confirm the new security arrangements for your mother."

"That's fine," she replied flatly.

"We're here," Jasper said quietly.

She turned to face him, her blank expression not quite meeting her eyes. Jasper swallowed and pushed open the door, and immediately the flashbulbs started going off, and the shouting began. He turned back to her, and held out his hand and she carefully placed it in his as he helped her out of the car. The Princess exited gracefully, keeping her head down as Jasper's hand went protectively in the small of her back as two security guards from the stadium emerged to help see her through the crowds.

" _Princess Eleanor!"_

" _What are your feelings on #KingLeam?"_

" _Princess!"_

" _Where are the King and Queen?"_

She kept her mouth shut, her attention focused solely on the heat radiating from Jasper's hand on her back.

"I've got her from here, thanks," Jasper waved off the guards and led her to a private staircase and pushed her inside. As soon as the steel door slammed shut behind them, his hands were on her, pulling her into his arms. "Are you okay? I could feel you shaking."

Her arms wove around his neck and she breathed in the scent of him; silently begging for his closeness to bring her some sort of relief. Instead, her heart continued to pound in her chest; the lump in her throat refused to go away. "I'm not okay, no, but we need to do this. We don't have time to stall." Jasper took a deep breath and nodded, and they quickly climbed the staircase to the control deck, where they found James manning the hallway. He wordlessly held up a swipe card and Jasper lifted it from his fingers, and swiped it through the access point and pushed the door open with his shoulder. Eleanor stood silently by James with bated breath as the muffled sounds of a struggle filled the air. She wasn't concerned for Jasper; it was the poor sod in the communications room she was worried about.

Jasper's incessant knocking filled the air and she lurched forward and grabbed the door handle and pushed it open for him. He quickly stepped out, handed the key card to James, pulling an unconscious video technician along with him. She stormed in, pausing in front of the large window to see Liam, thankfully safe, approaching the podium with an unharmed Ted Pryce in tow. Judging by the look on Liam's face, she could tell that some sort of serious conversation had gone down between the two of them, and evidently did not end in Liam's favour.

"Hurry up," she snapped. "We don't have-"

"I know that, thank you," he snapped back, slamming the door as he pulled his iPhone and a long cable out of the interior pocket of his jacket.

She bit back her reply as he worked furiously behind her.

"It's uploading," he announced to her. "Less than a minute."

Eleanor nodded and stepped back and joined his side. He reached up and pushed her hair off of her neck and tucked it behind her ear, exposing her face to him. She turned to look at him then, her bottom lip quivering.

"You're doing the right thing," he said quietly. His eyes flickered down to his phone. "We're in-"

"I can do it," she said urgently, watching as the screen above her brother began to change. It was now or never. "I can do it," she repeated to herself, and reached around Jasper and pressed down on the ' _transmit'_ button that was flashing on the screen.

He sucked in his breath as she lifted her finger; her hand shaking uncontrollably as the videotron went black, and rebooted to show King Simon walk onto the screen. "I'm proud of you," he breathed, and turned to watch the scene unfold beneath them.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement, but her eyes were stuck on her twin. The crowd had quickly put two-and-two together, and immediately began spilling out onto the pitch. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched Ted usher Liam to the awaiting car as the crowd descended upon them.

"Eleanor, we need to leave," Jasper said urgently. She turned to face him then, tears spilling from her eyes as she began to shake uncontrollably as if she had finally just realised what they had done. What she had done. "Baby-" She reached for him then, a hoarse cry escaped her lips as he gathered her into his arms, and turned her away from the scene below. Ted had been completely engulfed by the crowd, and Liam's limo had sped out of the stadium and numerous Scotland Yard agents began to flood the field. "We need to leave," he repeated urgently, pulling her away from him; Jasper her bodyguard had overtaken Jasper her fiancé.

"Okay," she whispered. "Let's go."

Jasper opened the door, and found the corridor empty, but he could hear the sounds of the violent crowd below. James chirped in his ear that the car was waiting for them. All he had to do was get her down there, somehow. He held her hand tightly in his as they descended back down toward the main entrance hall, cursing the fact that they were unable to get access to a more secluded extraction point.

He pushed open the door, and the crowd parted as if Moses himself had asked them to move out of her way. Once they realised that he was not a cop, but palace security trying to extract the Princess, the shouting started again. Her hands flew up to her face as she kept as close to him as she could.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" He shouted as she felt someone grab hold of her dress and pulled her back, causing her to stumble. She looked fearfully over her shoulder as an unnamed man grinned wickedly at her.

" _Jasper_ ," she said hoarsely, reaching for him as the group began to close in on her. He spun around, and roughly grabbed ahold of her by the arm and pulled her into his side, his hand painfully gripping her hip as he pushed them through the crowd. She was sure he'd bruise her. They weren't moving for them fast enough. "Take out your gun," she whispered in his ear, wrapping her arm around his shoulder, anchoring her body firmly to the side of his.

He nodded, and reached into his blazer with his free hand and withdrew his pistol. Instantly, the crowd murmured something about his weapon and they moved well out of their way.

"'Move!" He shouted again as he clicked off the safety. She buried her head in the crook of his neck as the tires of their car screeched to a halt outside the door. Instantly, two more security guards exited the vehicle with their weapons drawn and formed a protective circle around them. Jasper pulled open the door to the car and pushed her inside, and climbed in after her; his gun went clattering to the floor of the limo as the two others climbed in the front and sped away.

Her chest heaved as he moved off of her and straightened up. Jasper grabbed his gun and turned the safety back on, and stuck it back into its holster at his side.

"Your Highness- are you alright?" He demanded, concern etched on his face.

"Is Liam okay? Did he get out?" She asked the two in the front, ignoring his demands.

"Yes, Your Highness. Prince Liam will be arriving back at the palace momentarily."

"And Ted?" Jasper asked, shrugging out of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Eleanor hadn't realised she'd been shivering.

They met Dan's eyes in the mirror as his lips pressed into a thin line. "If I may speak freely?"

"Of course."

"No fucking clue, but he's earned what they gave him," he explained. "Scotland Yard was flooding in as we pulled you out."

"What time is it?" Eleanor asked suddenly.

"Nearly 4, Princess."

"We're not going back to the palace," she ordered. "To Heathrow. We're meeting the jet. Ophelia and Nick are on it, and have no clue what has happened. Radio in and tell them to bring the jet into the hanger. She deserves to find out from us, not _The Daily Mail._ "

"Of course, Princess," Dan confirmed, and picked up his radio.

Jasper reached over her head and raised the divider, shrouding them in some much needed privacy.

"Please tell me you're okay," he said urgently.

"I'm fine," she said impatiently as she slid her arms into his jacket sleeves and moved to the opposite side of the limousine. "Are you..?"

"Fine," he confirmed, moving to sit next to her. He gathered her in his arms, and she pressed her lips firmly to his in a rare display of affection.

"Your Highness? We just received confirmation that Prince Liam has arrived safely back at the Palace. We're about twenty minutes away from Heathrow," Dan called.

"Thank you," she called back, reaching for the whiskey decanter and poured herself a drink before passing the bottle off to Jasper, who also helped himself.

She crossed her legs and stared out the small space between the window and the fabric window coverings.

"Dan, can you turn on _BBC 1_?"

He wordlessly turned on the radio.

 _"If you're just tuning in, breaking news out of Wembley Stadium - a video allegedly showing King Simon's murder to a crowd of over 20 000 was displayed this afternoon. The assailant appears to be what our sources are saying is the Henstridge family's head of security, Theodore Pryce. Pryce was stormed by hundreds of spectators before being rescued by the Scotland Yard, and is currently under lockdown at Mount Saint Margaret's. No comment from the Palace as of yet, nor any word on his condition. We will keep you updated as this story develops."_

"Shut it off," she said, her voice shaking. Jasper's grip on her tightened as she lay her head on his shoulder, her eyes unfocused on the leather seats in front of her.


	11. Cry shame against me, yet I'll speak

A/N: Thank you for all your reviews on both this story, and on 'New York, New York'! I hadn't expected anything more than to get something off of my brain and I'm floored by all the wonderful feedback. I'm slowly working on a part 2 :)

I'm also very excited to see some great new stories pop up! We're a small, but mighty crew!

Enjoy! :)

* * *

"We're here. The plane's just landed," Jasper murmured. She nodded, and straightened herself out.

"You get them. She knows your face," Eleanor ordered. "Leave me your phone with the video." Jasper nodded, and unlocked his phone, booted up the video, and pressed it into her hand. He scrambled across the car and pushed open the door. 

"Jasper, what the hell is going on?!" She heard Ophelia shout. "Has Liam lost his mind?"

"Get in the car, Ophelia," he said tightly. "It wasn't Liam who made the call. He has no idea you're here."

Eleanor held her breath as she heard her footsteps come closer and closer.

"Who made the call to bring us back here? We didn't have any time to pack!" 

"I did," Eleanor said quietly as Ophelia and an extremely nervous looking Nick slid in across from her. Jasper slammed the door, and got in on the opposite side and resumed his seat next to her, draping his arm protectively over the back of her seat.

"Len?" She said, clearly surprised. Eleanor frowned. She was a lot thinner than what she remembered.

"Phi! You're so thin!" She exclaimed, reaching forward to grab her arm. Ophelia brushed her away, her expression furious.

"Don't touch me," she snapped. "What's going on? Where's my father?"

Eleanor recoiled as if she had been burned. "There's been a development in _my_ father's murder," she said, locking eyes with the other girl.

"I thought it was Lucius?"

"No. He took the fall for someone else. Someone who thought they wouldn't be found," she explained softly. "I made the call last night to bring you home, for your own safety. Like Jasper said, Liam has no idea. No offence, but he has other things to worry about right now."

"What does this have to do with me? Why didn't my dad make the call?"

"There's something you need to see, Ophelia," Jasper said gruffly, taking his phone out of Eleanor's hands and silently started the video, and held it up for her and Nick to see.

Eleanor's face remained impassive as Ophelia's turned to horrified; Nick looked equally uncomfortable.

"No- no-" she said desperately. "That can't be right. Someone framed him! He would never!"

Eleanor gripped Jasper's knee as she fought back her own tears. "He also made the call to take down Robert's jet. This video was just played to over twenty thousand people about an hour ago at Wembley. Your dad was attacked by the crowd. He is currently at Mount Saint Margaret's. I thought you would want to hear it from me before you found out through someone else."

"He's alive though, right?" Nick asked quietly as Ophelia sobbed into his chest.

Jasper nodded, and tapped his earpiece. "In critical condition. Just came through."

"Can she see him?"

"That's not for us to decide," Jasper replied, his tone all business. "He'll be charged with two counts of treason against the crown, once he wakes. There's another group involved, which is why we brought you home."

"Domino," she said quietly. "Liam discovered their symbol on his necklace the day he left me in New York."

Eleanor nodded sympathetically. "Dominique Stewart," she explained, knowing full well the name meant nothing to Ophelia. "That's another story, for another time."

"I hate to interrupt, but the palace has just been placed on a level three security alert. The Princess is to be returned immediately and secured with the rest of the Royal Family," Dan explained.

"Oh great," she muttered, leaning back into her seat, and turned to Jasper. "Where am I being detained this time, Bodyguard?"

Jasper pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Your bedroom, Your Highness."

"Ah, my bedroom," she said knowingly with a roll of her eyes. "And what of Ophelia and Nick?"

"They'll be escorted to one of the guest rooms. The Pryce's residence is currently being treated as a crime scene. Another member of security will meet us at the palace and escort them," he explained, before falling silent.

"I'm going to need more answers," Ophelia whispered, tucking her long hair behind her ear. "I don't understand why he would do this." 

She caught Jasper looking at her out of the corner of her eye and shook her head slightly, indicating that she would prefer that she left Ophelia Pryce's question unanswered. Once she was secured in the palace, The Scotland Yard would be notified, and she would most likely be transferred out and into a hotel. It was then she would receive her answers, from a neutral source.

"I've just received instructions from Hill to take Mr. Roane and Ms. Pryce directly to the hospital, once the Princess has been returned," Dan called back to them, breaking their awkward silence.

"Right," Jasper confirmed.

"We'll be arriving at the Palace in a few minutes, and there is a large crowd by the gate. Hold tight everyone, keep the windows covered, hands to yourselves, and we'll be fine," he announced briskly.

"You can speak freely around me, Dan," Eleanor called. "And thank you."

"Thanks, Princess," he said gratefully, "there's security waiting to let us in. With all due respect, _I'm going to plow this bitch_."

Eleanor snorted and straightened up in her seat as she could hear the yelling intensify. Dan sounded the horn in warning several times.

 __

 _"JUSTICE FOR KING SIMON!"_

 _"LONG LIVE KING LIAM!"_

 _"DOWN WITH THE HENSTRIDGE MONARCHY!"_

Eleanor tensed, the last stood out louder than the rest.

"Don't listen to them," Jasper was in her ear.

"Pulling up, Jasper. Get ready to take the Princess."

"Got it. Radio back in when you've made it to the hospital and made the hand off, she'll want to know."

"Roger that. Best of luck, Your Highness."

"Thanks," she said, taking Jasper's hand without hesitation as he pushed opened the door and stepped out. He bent down to help her and she exited the vehicle, careful to keep her back to the crowd. Jasper slammed the car door and tapped it, and Dan drove around to the rear exit of the palace.

Jasper guided her quickly up the staircase and the doors flew open to admit them, four agents flanked on either side.

"The Princess is to join Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Liam in the TV room."

"Yes sir," Jasper replied.

Eleanor let out the breath she had been holding once they had rounded the corner.

"Are you-"

"Jasper, if you ask me _how I'm doing_ one more time, I swear-"

"Shut up, Eleanor," he groaned, letting go of her hand. "Sorry for being concerned, future wife."

"Not with that attitude," she retorted. He stopped in his tracks.

"What?!" His tone hardened.

"I was joking," she said quickly, turning to face him. She grabbed hold of his jacket and moved to pull him to her, but he was much faster, and pinned her against the wall with his body, his hands planted firmly on either side of her head.

"Do you regret it?" He demanded, his blue eyes boring intently into hers.

"Of course not," her fingers tightened on his lapels as she drew herself to her full height and pressed her lips gently against his. "Do you?"

"Of course not," he echoed against her mouth. "I want you, so bad _right now._.." He reached behind her and grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged, and began kissing her neck.

"We- we have to go," she groaned, pushing him off of her.

Jasper ran his hand through his hair, nodded, and continued on their path to the Red State Room.

The doors were shut and guarded when they arrived, but the two officers guarding them parted and pushed the doors open for them to enter.

"Eleanor! What took you so long? Are you alright?" He mother demanded, rising to her feet as Liam pulled her into his arms.

"We did it," he breathed in her ear, holding her tightly.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said impatiently, pulling back and doing a quick sweep of the room. "Where's Cyrus?"

"He is currently indisposed," Helena said, stepping spread and framed her daughter's face in her hands. Eleanor searched her eyes for some sort of explanation, but she found none. If anyone were better than she at hiding things, it was most certainly the Queen Consort herself.

"What did you do, mum?" She demanded, stepping away. Liam pressed a glass of wine into her hands.

"It doesn't matter," she said dismissively. "I just let him know that there order of things are going to be changing around here very soon. He is currently licking his wounds in private."

Eleanor took a long drink of her wine and wandered over to the front window, noticing that the crowd at the main gates was getting considerably larger. "We need to say something to them," she said quietly.

"I'll do it," Liam offered, joining her.

"I'm not letting you go out there. Neither of you are to leave the palace," The Queen ordered. "We will do a televised statement in the morning, as a family. We need to show the people we are united in this cause and we will make this right."

"You want Liam on the throne," Eleanor said stiffly.

"I can do it, Lenny," he said quietly. "I know this isn't what we planned. Not by a long shot. But we want to take down Cyrus, we need to start from the bottom and work our way up."

"I don't doubt you can for a second," she exclaimed. "We all need to work on our image, if this is going to work." she eyed Jasper in the corner of the room.

He nodded his agreement, and pulled her away from the window, and they sat down across from their mother.

"Someone turn on the news," Eleanor said finally as she refreshed her glass. She didn't turn around as the sounds of one of the BBC broadcasters filled the air.

There were still not any updates from Mount Saint Margaret's; just constant loops of the riot footage from the stadium. Flashes of she and Jasper trying to leave the stadium. Of Liam getting shoved into the car. The growing crowd outside the palace gates, demanding an answer to the day's events.

"Rachel, tell them that we are dealing with this new piece of information privately, and will be making a live statement tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. As a family." the Queen announced. "We've been in this room long enough. I think we'll be fine in our respective quarters for the remainder of the evening."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Mr. Frost, you're being reassigned back to Eleanor. Mr. Hardy, you'll stand duty with Liam," she continued, addressing Dan who had just slipped into the room.

"Of course, Your Majesty," he bowed.

She nodded. "Good. Now off you go. We will reconvene in the morning." 

Eleanor turned, and Jasper was at her side in a flash. They were silent as they walked to her room; words had failed them both. Jasper made quick work to lock her door and drew the curtains shut as she climbed fully clothed on top of her bed.

"Do you think he'll die?" She asked, breaking their silence.

"It's hard to say," he murmured, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"If he dies, it'll be my fault, Jasper."

He sucked in a breath; he had been afraid of this. No matter of what the outcome was, she would blame herself for it. No only had they officially ruined Ted Pryce's life, they had ruined Ophelia's. And any chance that Liam might have had at getting her back was surely shot down as well.

"He did it to himself," he said harshly, leaning forward and dropped his head into his hands. "He's a sociopath, Eleanor. Nothing that happened today is your fault."

She swallowed, and nodded her head, and said nothing else. She kicked off her boots and sent them clattering to the floor, and curled her body into the fetal position in the middle of her bed.

Jasper had yet to move a muscle.

"Where do we go from here?" Eleanor asked.

"I don't know," he replied quietly.

"Liam's coronation, you'll be my date. No more hiding," she insisted, rolling on her side and eyed him carefully.

"Are you sure that's the best way for us to go public?"

"There never will be a right time," she sighed. "Once he's crowned, I intend to focus on getting that transition house started and fading very, very far away. I'm so tired, Jasper. The last eight months have been reprehensible."

"I know you told your mother that you didn't want help, but..." He said carefully.

She nodded, understanding what he was trying to convey. "Thank you," she whispered. "If I need help, trust me when I say that I'll ask for it if I need it."

"If that's what you want," he replied, leaning forward and unlaced his shoes and kicked them off. She nodded, and turned back to facing the wall.

* * *

She wasn't sure what had woke her in the middle of the night, but she was unable to return to sleep. She could still hear the crowds in the distance at the gates to the palace. She chanced a look at Jasper, who was still thankfully asleep beside her. Eleanor slowly exited the bed and patted across the floor, picking up a discarded cardigan along the way and quietly undid the locks to her bedroom door and slipped out soundlessly. She closed the door quietly behind her, and made her way down the darkened corridor to the balcony that overlooked the front of the palace.

Eleanor slowly pulled the drapes open, and watched the crowd. A large banner had been strung through the main gates boring ' _DOWN WITH THE HENSTRIDGE MONARCHY'_.

She knew full well that it wasn't safe to go outside, and she didn't intend to. Her whole family would have an aneurysm if she stepped one foot outside the palace doors without proper security detail. Jasper would likely have a stroke.

She smiled at the thought. 

It was in that moment, she saw how irrelevant her family, and the British Monarchy had become in the days since her father's death.

They were nothing. They contributed nothing, and it was up to she and Liam to change that. To start doing good. To become a beacon of hope and inspiration to the people, once again. She would have to do a lot more than just clean up her drugs. There would be no more drinking. Instead, she'd tackle her role as the family's charity representative head on. She'd publicly display her support for her twin as King. 

She'd marry Jasper Frost, because nothing made the people happy more than a royal wedding. He made her happy most of the time, she somewhat tolerated his company, he was a good shag, and too good looking for his own good. Eleanor knew she couldn't keep him her dirty little secret forever. He'd have to find his own niche; she made a mental note to speak with him about that later. If he wanted to do good, now was the time to prove himself to her family, and eventually the people. The last time a member of the Royal Family married an American, it had been considered quite the scandalous affair.

Fortunately for her, she was not directly in line for the throne, and Jasper was not a salacious divorcee. Her mother and Liam would never force her to give up her titles. It was all she'd ever known. She secretly liked the security of having the Henstridge family line to back her up. She'd never be able to make it by herself outside of the palace walls. 

She exhaled loudly and pulled the drapes shut. They most likely had seen a rustling in the window; it would have been hard not too. They'd face them tomorrow. Together, and united as one. 

Eleanor made her way back to her room and slipped back in, closing the door softly behind her.

"Don't forget to lock it," Jasper called through the darkness.

She clicked the locks back into place; the sounds echoing throughout her room. She removed her sweater and draped it over the back of a chair before she climbed back into bed with him.

"Where did you go?"

"Just for a walk," she said quietly, laying on her stomach and turned her head to face him. "They're still outside."

"I know," he sighed. "Please tell me you didn't go out there."

"Of course not," replied Eleanor, "I just needed to clear my head."

He reached for her then, and tucked her small body in against his.

"Tomorrow is going to be different," she continued. "This is the first time we've been a fortress since Robert died. We've never agreed on anything like this."

"I'll be there. With you," he whispered into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere, Princess."

"I'll need you," she admitted. "I don't know what my mother did to uncle Cyrus, but by the end of the day tomorrow it will be painfully obvious that Liam is going to be on the throne in a matter of weeks."

Jasper swallowed. "She took his son away, and gave Prudence enough money to disappear with for the rest of her life. I organised the jet to take her to Wales after we picked up Ophelia."

She pulled away, her jaw slack. "And you're just telling me this now?!" She slapped him hard on the chest.

"With all due respect, you've had a lot of other shit to deal with today," he snapped, taking hold of her wrist.

Eleanor pulled her arm free from his grasp and rolled away.

"Don't," he breathed into her hair, coming up behind her. He pressed the full length of his body against hers. Eleanor's eyes fluttered shut as his arms pulled her back against him; his lips ghosting along the exposed skin of her neck. "Don't shut me out again, Eleanor."

She gripped his hand tightly in hers as she rolled onto her back.

"I'm trying," she choked out. He nodded, and brought her into his chest.

"Try to go back to sleep." 

She adjusted herself in his arms, but didn't pull away. He held her tightly; not knowing what else to do. He was just as lost and messed up as she was.


	12. The commonwealth I would by contraries

**A/N** : Soooooo I guess from a few of your reviews I didn't convey what I wanted to very properly, and I'm sorry! I guess I had envisioned it as Eleanor realising that she had grown up, and was finally willing to take ownership of her responsibilities to the monarchy, and finally accepting that Jasper was going to be in the mix, permanently. She does love him, trust me!

So as an apology, here's another little bit. I'm about 15 pages ahead, give or take, and I like being at least 20 ahead of what I actually have posted. That being said, I'm starting to wind down, and things are coming together (on my end, anyway. You'll just have to wait and see!) and I expect to be finished with this story in a matter of days. I'll still stick to my regular twice a week updating schedule, though, until it's complete.

Thank you again for your continuous feedback! :)

* * *

"Your Highness? Your presence is requested in the throne room in two hours," Dan shouted through her door.

"Right!" She shouted back, pulling away from Jasper, who immediately shot out of bed. "Jesus, could you not move so bloody fast?"

"Sorry." He didn't sound sorry at all. Eleanor rolled her eyes and rose to her feet and stretched.

"Go get breakfast," she ordered. "I have to get ready."

"You did not just mistake me for room service," he quipped, pulling on his discarded pants.

"Do as I say, Jasper John Frost, or I'll-" she began heatedly, but was cut off by his lips on hers.

"I forgot how much of a bitch you are in the morning," he whispered in her ear, holding her against him. She laid her hands flat against his chest, smirking.

"You signed up for this," she reminded him, flicking his chest with her thumb and forefinger.

"Mm, that's right," he groaned, kissing her again. "I thought I put a ring on it-"

Eleanor arched an eyebrow, pulled away from him, and sauntered over to her jewelry box, and pulled it open and held up her engagement ring. "Oh, this?" She asked coquettishly.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to wear that or something?" He shot at her.

"Yes, I think I'll wear it during the broadcast, actually." She slipped it back onto her finger, eyeing it appreciatively.

"What? Are you sure?" He said, clearly alarmed at her decision.

"I did some thinking last night," she admitted. "The longer this is kept a secret, the worse it will be. Let them speculate for a few weeks, and then the palace will release an official announcement following the coronation."

"What changed your mind?"

Eleanor purses her lips. "This country needs a royal wedding to put us all in the good graces of the people again, and Liam is too fucked up right now to commit."

"We don't need to rush this," he said quietly. "Not if we're not ready. Just to make the people happy."

"I thought this is what you wanted," she replied, gently touching his face with her left hand.

"Of course it is. I just didn't expect you to give in so easily. It's not like you to go down without a fight," his eyes sought out hers as he turned his head and pressed a kiss in the centre of her palm. "Now go get ready, it's going to be another long fucking day. For all of us."

* * *

"Jasper?" Eleanor called, standing in front of her mirror.

"What?" he shouted back.

"Come zip up my dress!" she hollered.

She heard him sigh loudly, and then the sound of his phone clattering on the table quickly followed.

"Zip what up, exactly?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe as she spun to face him, a small smile on her lips.

"How do I look?" She inquired, spinning to display her black, backless dress that fell just above her knees.

"Beautiful," he praised, stepping in and pushed her hair behind her ears, revealing a particular set of black diamond earrings.

"That suit looks good," she confirmed, eyeing him in his new charcoal-grey tailored suit and an off white button down shirt.

Jasper smirked and slowly slid his earpiece back into his ear. "Time to go, Your Highness."

Eleanor's expression faltered slightly; he was sure he just saw her hardened façade crack ever so slightly. She turned away then, and back to her jewelry cabinet and pulled open one of the drawers to reveal a row of headpieces. She removed a slim, silver crystal tiara with several small fleur de lis and fixed it on top of her head; a stark contrast against her dark hair.

"Cartier," she explained, pulling a few tendrils of her curled hair out from underneath.

"It suits you," he praised. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear any of the crown-" It was then she shot him a dirty look. He suddenly realised what he was saying and locked his jaw shut and swallowed.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" She breezed out of her closet and headed toward the door. Jasper caught up with her, and grabbed her arm and spun her to him.

"You're sure about this?" He nodded to her ring. "There's no going back after this, Eleanor."

Eleanor pursed her lips and nodded. "Do you not want-"

"Of course I do," he said, unlocking the doors and pulled them open.

"Then shut the hell up, Jasper," she said, clearly exasperated. He nodded curtly, his expression unreadable as they fell into a comfortable silence, the sound of her heels echoing off of the high walls.

"Your Highness, you look lovely as usual," James greeted as they rounded the corner.

"Thank you, James," she replied. "I heard you brought your daughter here. I hope she's adjusting well."

He smiled sadly. "Given the circumstances, it's the best thing. She keeps asking if she can meet the princess."

Eleanor smiled. "Of course she can! Does she like horses? I can show her mine."

"That's very kind of you to offer," he said, "she would enjoy that."

"When this blows over," she confirmed. "Are my mother and brother here yet?"

"The Queen is inside," he confirmed, reaching for the handle, and pushed the door open.

Eleanor straightened her back and entered the throne room. The first thing she noticed was that the King's throne had been removed, and the Queen's throne and the two chairs for she and Liam remained.

"Eleanor," Helena called. "You look lovely. That tiara was made for you," she eyed her daughter appreciatively.

"Thank you," she murmured as her mother held her at arm's length. "Where is Liam?"

"Liam is greeting his guest," she explained.

"What guest?" Eleanor asked, pulling away and helping herself to the tea urn that had been set up.

"Her name is Willow," Liam announced from behind her. Eleanor spun around, eyeing the other girl cautiously. "The hell did you come from?" She demanded.

"Len-"

"You haven't said one word about this girl," she clipped, stalking over to them.

"We've all been busy," he snapped back. "Go crawl back into whatever hole you just came out of."

"A girl can dream," she said without further consideration. "Nice to meet you."

"Speaking about things nobody's mentioned," Liam cut in before Willow could reply. He grabbed her arm and pulled up her left hand in front of his face. "Mind telling us what this is?"

"Surely you're not that dense," she pulled her hand away, with a certain finger waving in his face.

"You asked my sister to marry you? _Are you insane_?" Liam rounded on Jasper.

"Not as nuts as she is," he shrugged.

Liam smiled then, and clasped him on the shoulder. "You're a brave man. A little heads up would have been nice, yeah?"

"It just kind of happened," he admitted. "I didn't think she'd say yes. Thought she'd punch me, actually."

"I am in the room, you know," she called as she cautiously locked eyes with her mother.

"Eleanor," she said quietly, "is this truly what you want?"

"Yes," she confirmed, her eyes downcast as her cheeks flushed. "Don't announce anything during the broadcast. Wait a few weeks. Give them something good to speculate about for once."

Helena's eyes flitted over her shoulder, and Eleanor tensed. She knew exactly who she was staring at.

"Good job, _bodyguard_ ," she affirmed. "I hope you know what this means."

"I have an idea, yes," Jasper responded tightly.

"Your family in Las Vegas will not be welcome here," she continued as she stood, placing her hand tightly on her daughter's shoulder.

"I've already let them know. My aunt, Catherine, is the only one I consider my family, Your Majesty. She's a divorce attorney in Vegas."

"Submit her information to James Hill, he will take care of the necessary paperwork. I'm sure Eleanor has confirmed some of the protocols with you."

"She has, yes."

"Good, we'll discuss this all later. Now go take your seats, the both of you. We're going to tell one last little lie, and it's that we tested your blood last night and it came back uncorrupted, and a 100% match to Simon. We will be releasing the documents to the public following our broadcast. It's about time Cyrus took the fall for something."

Liam nodded, and took his seat to the left of her throne, and Eleanor settled herself into the seat on the right and straightened her back as their mother strode in front of the camera.

"We'll be live in two minutes," the technical director informed them.

Liam turned to her, his expression serious.

"They don't get rid of us," he said quietly.

"We get rid of them." She confirmed.

"Live in 10 ... 9 ... 8 ... 7 ... 6 ... 5 ... 4..."

"Good morning," Queen Helena began, folding her hands together in front of her. "As you know, we have discovered the true nature of King Simon's murder yesterday, in the most unconventional way. My children and I thank you for your continued support, and for grieving alongside us. We wouldn't be able to move forward from this without you.

"A number of things came to light last night, including that the assailant was indeed Ted Pryce, our now former head of security. Ted ordered for our son, Robert's jet to be shot down. Once he has recovered from last night's attack, he will be arrested and tried for two counts of treason against the crown.

"Secondly, we have also discovered that King Cyrus tampered with my children's blood tests in order to put himself on the throne. Liam and Eleanor were retested late last night, and we are pleased to announce that they are indeed genetic matches to the Henstridge family linage. With that being said, Liam Simon Alexander Henstridge is the rightful heir to the throne. Preparations for Liam's coronation will begin in the coming days, and we have agreed, as a family, that this will be a public event. The results from the twins' blood tests will be released to the public following this broadcast. _Prince_ Cyrus will also be implicated, and dealt with privately.

"Thirdly, as we all try to move on from these horrific events, we will be doing a reshape as a monarchy, and as a family. Princess Eleanor will be taking over her late brother's role as an ambassador to several charities and will be working with them in the coming weeks.

"Our family thanks you for your continued support, and _long live the King_."

" _CUT_!"

Eleanor let out the breath she was holding and dropped her head into her hands, and breathed deeply. The chair creaked beside her; she was sure Liam was currently echoing her posture.

"Rachel will draw up statements on behalf of you both. Once you confirm, they will be released along with your paternity results," Helena turned around and surveyed them both.

Eleanor rested her chin on the palm of her hand and crossed her legs and sighed.

"So it begins," she muttered, looking lazily at Liam.

"So it begins," he confirmed, locking eyes with her.

"You better procreate sooner rather than later because I am _not_ queen material," she quipped.

Liam snorted. "You got that right. I'll get right on that."

Eleanor rolled her eyes and pulled at the tiara on her head. "Bloody uncomfortable thing … you're so lucky you don't have to wear this…"

"Your life is so hard," he said.

"Shut it, you," she snapped.

"And now we wait," Helena said quietly, sitting down between the two, effectively ending their bickering.

"So what are we going to do about Cyrus?"

"It's being handled," she said evenly.

"But mum-"

"Let it go, Liam."

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Incredibly so. For once in your life, do as I ask," she bristled, and rose to her feet. "I suggest the two of you get into something comfortable. You'll be shaking a lot of hands at those gates today. You want this monarchy to look good, and be relatable again? It starts _now_."


	13. As good luck would have it

Jasper told me what you did for Prudence and her baby." Eleanor announced, leaning against the door frame to her mother's room later that evening.

Helena looked up from her iPad, surprised at her daughter's unannounced arrival."Simon saw the good in her," she sighed, meeting the gaze of her daughter. "She didn't deserve this life. And neither did her son. Especially with Cyrus at it's helm."

Eleanor nodded her understanding, and stepped one foot in the room, her eyes darting around; though she was unsure of what she was looking for. Jasper's other cufflink, perhaps. Or some other sign that he had been in there. She herself hadn't set one foot in her mother's room since the night she had discovered his cufflink in her bed.

It was just one more place in that damned palace that brought back bad memories for her.

"I thought you would have changed rooms. After dad died," she said, sitting in the armchair on the opposite side of the room next to the burning fireplace. She curled her body into the chair, away from her mother, and watched the burning embers of the fire dance before her eyes.

"I did consider it," explained Helena, "but I decided not to. Simon liked this room. He found it relaxing; it wasn't as showy as the rest of the palace. I didn't want to completely erase him, contrary to what you and Liam seem to believe."

Eleanor remained silent as she rested her chin on her knees, and folded her arms around her legs.

"I thought you were being smart with me when you told me that Jasper had proposed," Helena said conversationally, her eyes turning back down to whatever she had been working on before her daughter's visit.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me," she replied simply.

"How did he do it?"

Eleanor made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded like something between a laugh and a grunt. "He wanted to take me out to dinner, but the only way he could get a private room- because he wanted security, see, but didn't want to say whom he was bringing- was that he lied and told the maitre'd that he was going to propose to me. So he bought a proposal package, and I was under the impression that he was just going to fake it. Apparently not."

"He is an odd boy, isn't he?" she questioned, shaking her head as she slipped out of bed. She poured herself a glass of whiskey, and offered some to her daughter, who in turn, declined. "And what of his family?"

"I met his parents briefly. I want them added to the no entry list. Something is going to have to be made up to cover up his past, mum. That's what I'm most worried about. He's got a goddamn shady past. I'm frightened that she will try to extort something out of us in exchange for her silence," Eleanor rambled in a rare moment of vulnerability.

"You don't have to worry about The Cook family," Helena said, softly stroking her head. "They have no jurisdiction here."

She bit her lip. Eleanor preferred to stay out of her family's shady dealings, and knew well enough that if her mother, or one of her minions, told her that something was being taken care of, then it was definitely being taken care of. "If that's your story," she replied finally.

"Now, about this wedding."

"Mum," Eleanor groaned. "Not now."

"Any other girl would be absolutely thrilled to have the options available to her as you do," she chided, pulling her hand away and sat down opposite of her.

"Liam's coronation is far more important right now."

"Yes, but there is some healthy speculation about a certain ring on a certain skinny finger of yours that will need to be addressed."

Eleanor scoffed. "Yes, I know that, thank you."

"Don't be smart with me, Eleanor," she said, taking a long drink from her glass. "You'll need to name a designer soon."

"House of McQueen," she muttered. "Known British designer. Friends of the family."

"Well, I'm glad to see you've put some thought into this."

"That's about all the thought I've put into this," she warned. "It's my wedding, mum. You'd do well to remember that. Get Liam's coronation out of the way first."

"Speaking of our prince-to-be, where is he anyhow?"

"In a meeting with James and a few other security personnel," she explained, waving her hand around, indicating she had more important things to care about. "He's being transferred back to MI5. I don't think he wants to be my househusband."

"He wants to continue to work? That's impressive."

Eleanor shrugged. "He has an obsession with security. I'm not that surprised. It's not like he'd listen to me, anyway."

"You've certainly met your match, Eleanor." Helena said, staring into the fire. "Lord knows he's just as stubborn as you are. If not worse."

"You always did give the best compliments," Eleanor retorted, unfolding herself from her chair and stood on shaky legs. "Off I go."

"Have a good night, darling," The Queen called, an edge of sarcasm evident in her voice. Eleanor slammed the door behind her and took off toward her own room.

* * *

In the weeks that followed, the Henstridge family quickly moulded themselves into a picture perfect monarchy. With the help of parliament, Queen Helena had been able to have Cyrus stripped of his title as King, and declared unfit to rule.

For the first time in many a century, England had been left without a reigning monarch, and Liam was quietly preparing to fill the vacant throne.

He was young, modern, and had big ideas. The people loved him, and had high hopes that he would make his family's place in their world a more positive influence. He had finally come into his own, and Eleanor couldn't have been more prouder of him.

Five minutes earlier, and it could have been her in the hot seat.

For the first time in her life, she had been thankful that her mother had requested that Liam had been the one to come out of the womb first.

She had ensured her daughter would be able to have the life she never could. The life she deserved.

"Are you ready for tomorrow, Lenny?" Liam asked quietly from behind her.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" She replied, scooting her body over on the edge of the balcony so he could sit next to her on the railing. Liam soundlessly heaved his body up on the ledge and dangled his legs over the side next to hers.

Eleanor straightened her back as they stared out over the bright city lights.

"Drink?" She asked, arching her right eyebrow at him and shook a half-empty bottle of red wine at him.

"Please," he chuckled, lifting the bottle out of her hands and took a long pull and sat it back down in between them.

"So," she began, swiping the bottle back and took a quick drink, "what's the plan? For when this is all over?"

"Just try and return to normal," he replied, smiling at her. "Or the best we can, anyway. Don't you have a wedding to plan or something?"

Eleanor snorted and unconsciously twirled the ring on her finger. "Oh yes. That spectacle. Jasper is sitting with the family tomorrow, by the way. He's officially done as of midnight tonight."

"He told me a short while ago," Liam nodded, picking the bottle back up. "Getting transferred back to MI5 in a few weeks."

She nodded her confirmation. "Yes. He'll be going back to his previous position of a Intelligence and Data Analyst. So this Willow-"

"She's a good friend," he said quickly.

"Don't lie to me, Liam," she snapped, turning to face him.

"I'm serious!" He said defensively. "There hasn't been enough time for anything to happen. She's been there for me the past few months, and she's a great girl."

"She has a nice ass," Eleanor snickered.

"Cut it, you," he chided as she took the bottle from him and lifted it to her lips. "She's sitting with the family, too."

"What a freak show tomorrow is going to be," she sighed, looking down into the dark grounds of the palace below. "At least we can all start to move on..."

Liam draped his arm over her shoulders and she rested her head on his. "I told you we'd make it out, Lenny."

"We're almost there," she confirmed, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm going to bed."

"See you at one," he said, untangling himself from his twin.

Eleanor smiled and swung her legs back over to the balcony and jumped off. "See you at one," she echoed and slipped back inside.

Her room was still empty when she arrived back. A long garment bag lay across her sofa, and she carefully unzipped it to reveal a long white gown with a modest neckline, long sleeves, low back, and a small train. Paired with the right accessories, she knew it would look good. Eleanor smiled, and re-zipped the bag as her mobile vibrated on her nightstand. She made her way across the room and swiped it up and flopped onto her back on the bed.

Going out for a pint with James and Marcus, don't wait up, the text from Jasper read.

Don't be late, we have an early start, you! She sent back and dropped the phone next to her and worked her way into the sheets, and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Get up."

"Go. Away," Eleanor groaned, reaching for her blanket to pull it back over her head as the sunlight abruptly poured into her room by someone harshly opening the drapes.

"You overslept," Jasper winced, "I'm hungover," he added.

"Well that's not my fault, now is it?" She snapped from underneath her blankets. "What time is it?"

"Ten thirty."

"Shit!" she exclaimed, pulling them back over her head. "Why didn't you set an alarm?!"

"Why the fuck didn't you?"

"Don't you start with me," she clipped, scrambling out of her bed. "Where is James? Why didn't he-"

"Just in case you've forgotten, Your Highness, I'm no longer an employee," Jasper replied dryly.

"Yes, and you're doing a shit job as a fiancé of making sure that I'm awake for my brother's bloody coronation!" she shouted from the bathroom as she tore off her clothes and scrambled into the shower.

She emerged twenty minutes later.

"Len? There's a make-up-"

"Yes, alright," she bristled, pulling on her robe. "Get out. Go find something useful to do. Like going and getting me a coffee, for starters."

"Coffee? Did I hear you correctly?"

"Jasper," she exasperated, stepping into her room, tying the black silk sash around her waist tightly. "Please."

He rolled his eyes, and left the room without another word.

"Whenever you're ready, Your Highness," a tall, slim dark skinned man gestured to the chair in front of her vanity. "Her majesty took the liberty of sending ahead your crown and necklace from the Crown Jeweller," he explained, pointing to the sleek black boxes that sat on the table that had been set up. Eleanor nodded, and sat down in front of the mirror.

"Lenny," Liam called from outside her door. She frowned, and lowered the mug of steaming coffee from her lips. "Is it safe to come in?"

"Yes, of course," she called back. Jasper rose from his spot on the sofa and opened the door and Liam entered, dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt, and skinny black tie. "Shouldn't you be somewhere important, future king?"

"Just wanted to see you," he muttered. "Mum's beside herself and she's acting like such a bitch," he helped himself to a discarded scone.

"Well, you can have her thrown out," she said as her make-up artist worked on straightening her mane of hair. "Actually, I wouldn't object if you did. It would likely be more quiet around here."

"Or I could just throw you out," he teased.

"But you won't," she reasoned, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "But you could throw out Cyrus."

"Might do that one, actually," he said pointedly, reaching for her coffee cup and took a drink.

"Liam!" she exclaimed, slapping him on the arm as she snatched back her mug. "The hell do you think you're doing?"

"I didn't have time to eat this morning," he shrugged, smirking.

"Neither did I!" Eleanor exclaimed, her eyes fluttering shut as she was once again encased in a cloud of Hairspray.

"Your Highness?" Jerome, her stylist, piped up as he stepped away. She opened her eyes and focused on her reflection.

"It's excellent, thank you," she confirmed. "Put that damn thing on my head so I can get dressed. Get out, Liam. I'm sure you have more important things to do than bother me."

"You'll eat those words," he vowed, brushing his hands on his pants. "What are you going to do when I'm not around here anymore?"

"I'll figure it out," she replied airily as Jerome carefully placed the heavy, jewelled golden crown on her head and styled her hair around it. "Thank you," she added gratefully as he stepped away. She stood and stretched, her face quickly turning into a scowl as she caught Jasper eyeing her legs.

"What?" he said, catching her glare as his eyes trailed back down to whatever he was doing on her laptop.

"What?" she mimicked, picking up the bag containing her dress and headed into the other room. She dressed in a pair of seamless knickers and matching strapless bra, and slid into the dress. Just as she expected, it clung to her slim figure in the right areas, showcasing what few curves she did have.

"The car will be here in fifteen, Princess," James called.

"Coming!" she shouted. "Jasper-"

"I'm ready," he said quietly, leaning against her doorframe. "You look beautiful."

She spun around, a wide smile on her face as she took in the sight of him standing before her in a crisp black three-piece Armani suit. "You're not too bad yourself, bodyguard," she replied as he stepped in and pulled her into his side, taking out his iPhone. A brief look of disdain crossed her face as he turned on the front camera and snapped a quick photo of them. He snorted looking at the final result.

"Yup, that's our engagement photo," he confirmed, showing it to her.

She pressed her lips together in a thin line as she opened one of the long closet doors and extracted a blue sash and draped it across her body. "I'll be glad when this is done," she muttered, pulling on a pair of black stilettos. "Go get that necklace," she demanded.

Jasper said something that sounded much like a string of curses under his breath, but left to do her bidding.

He was back, seconds later and carefully opened the box to reveal a thick diamond necklace. He wordlessly lifted it up and draped it over her neck as she lifted her hair. "Heavy," he commented.

"Want to wear it this, too?" She pointed to the crown on her head. "Liam better not die. I can't the one he has to wear. Besides, it's much more ugly."

"I look so bare next to you," he observed.

"Give it a few months," she replied dryly.

"Princess? The car is ready," James called.

"Here we go," said Eleanor as Jasper placed his hand in the small of her back.

"Frost," James acknowledged. "You'll be escorted to your seat by another member of security when we arrive. The Princess will have to enter with the Prince Regent and Her Majesty the Queen as per ceremonial circumstance."

"Sorry," she mouthed.

"It's fine," he quipped. "They'll see me with her, anyway."

"The whole world will know who you are in oh- about twenty minutes, give or take," she said breezily as they made their way to the entrance hall. "How does that make you feel, Jasper?"

"I've dealt with worse," said Jasper, peering discreetly over his shoulder before lowering his hand to her backside.

Eleanor rolled her eyes, but didn't slap his hand away.

"Eleanor! You look lovely, darling," Helena called as she rounded the corner. Just as she suspected, her mother was similarly dressed in an embellished cream-coloured gown and the current reigning monarch's crown, and bore the same sash as she.

"Thanks," she replied, eyeing the rest.

"Alright, everyone. Straight to the cars, no stopping. We're on a tight schedule. Liam, Helena, car one. Jasper and Eleanor, car two. Understood?"

"I don't think it'll be hard to fuck that up, Mr. Hill," Eleanor replied, raising her eyebrows.

"You'll get what's coming to you, one of these days, Princess," he clipped back.

"You do amuse me," she confirmed, stepping forward as two of the palace's footmen grabbed hold of the doors, and pulled them open.

"Give me your arm," she commanded. "Head up, look straight ahead. Mum and Liam will exit first, and then we will. I get in last, and I'm out last. This is my territory."

Jasper offered her his arm and she wordlessly slipped her hand over his forearm, and took a tentative step forward as the crowd outside the palace erupted in loud cheers. Eleanor watched as his face turned to stone like he was some sort of modern Greek God. If she didn't know how smart could be with her in a flash, she'd think him almost attractive in that moment. Instead, she knew he was nerve racked. The second they both crossed that threshold, everything was going to change.

For her.

For him.

"Princess?" James said quietly from behind her.

"Smile and nod politely when we get to the top of the stairs," she instructed as they moved forward. The crowd was deafening as they emerged, and she could hear the whispers above all. She smiled tightly, her nails digging into his skin.

"Wave," she continued, raising her free hand. He followed suit as they were both temporarily blinded by the hundreds of flashbulbs.

He moved then, and turned to face her. Jasper quickly leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist.

The screams around them were deafening as she framed his face with one hand, and kept the other on the crown on her head as he dipped her back, before straightening them both.

A slow smirk spread across his features as they parted, and his hand slid back around her waist and lead her the rest of the way down to the car. He slid in easily, and she quickly followed suit.

"What the fuck was that?!" She demanded, turning to him.

"Just sending a message," he clipped, placing his hand on her thigh.

"Oh, really?" She said icily, "to whom?"

"A few people," he replied, staring straight ahead as the car lurched forward.

"Jasper-"

"Is Beck going to be there?"

"Are you kidding me right now? You choose now to get jealous-"

"I've got nothing to be jealous about," he said confidently, gripping her leg. "That day on the boat? He tried to start a pissing contest with me."

"You've got to be kidding me," she breathed. "Jasper, if I don't kill you, my mother will."

"She's the one who told me to do it, actually," he said easily.

Eleanor cursed under her breath. Helena the Headline Controller strikes again. And of course he had agreed. Just to spite her. "Do you do everything my mother tells you to do?"

"Did I not fuck you hard enough last night?" He breathed in her ear, keeping his voice down so the driver in the front couldn't hear him.

"If I recall correctly, there was a drunk man lying on top of me last night, yes," she replied, her head lolling to the side, her eyes challenging him.

His hand slid dangerously high up her thigh. "I think I did a great deal more than 'lay on top of you,' judging from the sounds that were coming out of that hot little mouth of yours."

Eleanor raised her hand, and pressed the button on the ceiling of the limousine to raise the divider between them and the driver.

"You do realise we are on our way to an extremely historic coronation, yes?"

"That did occur to me," he said, reaching around her and pulled the window panel down, and then the one next to him, effectively shrouding them from the crowds that lined the street.

Her mouth was on his the second he turned to face her. His hand slid behind her hair, and cupped the back of her neck.

"We don't have enough time," he said between kisses. Eleanor's gown had somehow ridden up around her knees; his hand was moving slowly up her inner thigh.

"It's a twenty minute drive," she breathed, reaching for his belt buckle.

"Are you serious right now?"

Eleanor smirked, her eyes never leaving his as she pulled his belt free from its clasp.

"Len," he breathed in her ear as his fingers grazed her damp knickers. "Ugh, you smell like hairspray."

"You're so romantic," she whispered back, cupping his erection through his trousers. "I don't think you'll be protesting anymore, no?"

"No," he confirmed, eyeing the barrier between them and the driver. "If one hair on your head is out of place…"

"It won't be," she said confidently, lifting the bottom of her dress around her hips and he expertly slid her knickers down her legs and tossed them to the floor.

"And weren't you the one harping about the coronation this morning?" He slowly undid his zipper and lifted his hips, sliding his trousers down his muscular thighs.

"I'm about to coronate you," she drawled, swiftly climbing onto his lap, and slid on top of him.

They both sucked in a breath as their bodies joined. He ensured her dress was hiked up high enough as she raked her fingers through his hair, and began to rock her hips against his. With one hand firmly holding onto her dress, Jasper cradled the back of her head, forcing her mouth onto his own. Neither were determined to make a sound, for the sake of the driver in the front. One wrong move or sound and they both knew they'd be chewed out upon arrival.

He lifted his hips, meeting her thrust for thrust. They were both so, so close.

"We'll be arriving at the Abbey in ten minutes, Your Highness," the driver called.

"Thank you," she replied, her tone so casual she even surprised herself.

"Ten minutes, baby," he whispered against her lips, nipping her in the process. She gently tugged his hair, pulling his head back, forcing him to look at her.

"I think you know what to do," she replied so softly, he barely heard her.

He smirked, and increased his pace as she held onto the back of the seat, her bottom lip firmly between her teeth as she ensured that no sound was made from their bodies.

"You're so hot when you come, Len," he continued. "They're gonna be crowning your brother and all you're going to be thinking about is my dick inside you. Like this."

Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt something snap inside of her. Eleanor's fingers slipped from the back of of the seat and her arms wound tightly around his neck, her lips planted on his to stifle her moan as her orgasm rocked her body.

Jasper pumped into her one, two, and three times before he too, held his moan in his throat. He stilled beneath her, chest heaving.

"Five minutes," the driver called.

That time, she offered no reply as she silently gulped in mouthfuls of air, and carefully slid off of him. She quickly grabbed a handful of napkins from the small bar and and passed him half of her stack as she quickly cleaned her inner thighs, and threw them in the trash can. She jammed her knickers back up her legs and straightened out her dress as Jasper stuffed himself back in his pants and leaned forward to tuck his shirt back in. Eleanor carefully smoothed her dress back out, and pulled down the overhead mirror. Her cheeks were flushed. She used a spare napkin to fix her lipstick, and adjusted a few stray hairs, and deemed herself presentable. Jasper threw his own tissues in the bin, and passed her the hand sanitiser, a self-satisfied smile shining bright across his features as the car jolted to a stop.

She slowly wrapped his hand in hers, smiling.

"The Queen and the Prince Regent are exiting their vehicle now."

Eleanor reached with her free hand and pulled back the window coverings just in time to see Liam straighten himself up and wave, and another man in a black suit came toward her car. He pulled the door open and stepped aside. Jasper easily slid out, and offered her his hand.

She smiled saucily at him as she took it, and gracefully exited the vehicle. True to her word, not one hair on her head looked out of place. Nothing about her cool demeanour indicated that she had just fucked her fiancé in the back of a moving vehicle.

She and Jasper paused for photos; smiling politely, her left hand on his chest; the ring on her finger sparkled brightly in the afternoon sun.

"I love you," she breathed as they entered the abbey. "I have to go now. I'll see you after this is over."

His arm tightened on her waist, and he bent and pressed his lips to her cheek, aware that several pairs of eyes were on them. And that they were also in a house of worship. "I love you," he reiterated, and arched his eyebrow as he moved away from her.

"Your Highness," one of the footmen bowed, "Come with me."


	14. The madman: the lover, all as frantic

**A/N:** Well, this is it. I have the Epilogue already written, too, but I'm going to wait a few more days to post that. Thank you so much for reading! I'm so glad you all enjoyed this story.

I'm not sure if I'm going to continue NYNY or not, but I have something else I've been working on, too. I think I'm going to let that sit for a little bit before I put something new out.

* * *

"Your Majesty," Eleanor drawled sarcastically as she strode into the throne room four hours later. "Haven't we taken enough photos? What's next, a goddamn oil painting?"

"For you, yes," Helena snapped, reaching for her and fixed her hair. Eleanor grimaced. She had ruined her official portrait, on purpose. She knew she'd have to sit for another one, eventually, and had been hoping that they would forget about that particular incident.

"Who pissed in your coffee?" Liam asked, as the imperial robe was draped over his shoulders.

"You, you little coffee stealing prick."

"I am King now, you know."

"Yes, and you were my twin first. One wrong step and I'm going to write a salacious tell-all."

"Enough, Eleanor. Don't you have someone else you can go terrorise? Where is Jasper?" Said Helena, effectively ending their argument before it could fully take off.

"Right here," he said from behind her. Eleanor looked over her shoulder, a small smirk on her lips. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"It was riveting," he confirmed, draping his arm over her shoulder and helped himself to the glass of champagne she had in her hands. "My official statement says that I am honoured to be a part of such a proud moment in Great Britain's history,"

"Just family photos left, and then you have two hours until the banquet," Rachel announced.

"We'll do mum, Len, and I," Liam confirmed, "Jasper and Len, then Willow and I, and the all of us. And then I need to eat something because I'm about to pass out."

"I thought she wasn't your girlfriend," she replied airily, leaning back into Jasper's chest and threading her fingers into his against his shoulder.

Liam shrugged. "Why don't you set a date for your wedding?"

"We did. April 24th, next year," Jasper fired back.

Eleanor fought to keep her face straight as she did the math in her head. Eight months. She could handle that. Her eyes refocused on Liam. "Point for team _Jaspenor_. Thanks, social media."

"They know my name? And combined it?" His face scrunched up.

"The palace quietly confirmed your identity during the coronation," Helena replied.

"Welcome to the family," she swiped her champagne back, drained the glass, set it down, and stalked over to her brother and threw her arm around his neck.

The photographer quickly captured the moment between them. Liam and Eleanor quickly straightened out, and she stood behind him, smiling tightly as the cameras flashed away in front of them. Helena quickly slipped in, and then Jasper and Willow. His arm wound around her waist, pulling her closer to his body as she smiled softly up at him.

"I do like you, Jasper from Las Vegas," she whispered as the photographer ordered them to stand in front of another tapestry.

"I think you proved your point in the car earlier, Your Highness," he said tightly, squaring his shoulders, and set his jaw.

"I'm glad my _point_ got across," she retorted.

She chanced a glance at him between takes, and caught his eye looking at her several times, causing a small, genuine smile to pull at the corners of her lips.

Jasper had changed immensely. For her. She reached for his face, forcing him to look at her.

"What?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Thank you," said Eleanor, her tone quiet and genuine. "None of this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. If you hadn't have given up. And I don't think anyone has said thank you, properly."

As they stepped away and headed across the room, he pulled her out in the corridor. "Not that I'm complaining, but why are you bringing this up now?"

"Because it occurred to me that you sacrificed just as much as we did, if not more, for this cause," she replied earnestly. "Those portraits are going to be released in a few weeks. Your name-"

"Do you think that any of that matters to me, Len?" He asked. "Because it doesn't. I'm still here. With you. I'm going back to work in a few weeks. That's all I wanted. The titles- they don't matter to me. I might not even accept them, I haven't decided yet."

Her expression faltered slightly. "If that's what you want."

Jasper pulled her into his chest and nuzzled her neck. "Besides, if you're so hellbent on thanking me, you can certainly do so in the privacy of _our_ bedroom later tonight."

"I'll take that into consideration," she said dryly, as the doors opened behind him.

"Two hours, Your Highness, Mr. Frost," Rachel began, seriously. "You're both to be in the State Dining room on time."

"I'm nothing if not punctual," she replied, rolling her eyes and pulled the crown off of her head, scattering her hair across her shoulders in messy waves. "I'm changing. This gown is too hot."

"Modesty-"

"What do you take me for, some common whore, Rachel?" she called; she was already half way down the hall.

"Just reiterating your mother, Your Highness."

"Tell her she can shove her modesty-"

"Eleanor, there _are_ people in the house that can hear you!" Liam shouted as he pushed out of the room.

"And I think I'm the only person on the planet who can tell the King to go fuck himself," she shouted brightly, wrenching open the doors to her room and breezed inside, dropping her crown haphazardly on top of the table, and raked her hands through her hair, and fishing the pins out in the process, sending them _pinging_ to the floor.

"You _are_ something, you know that?" Jasper announced as he entered, holding a bottle of champagne in one hand and loosening his tie with the other.

She lifted the bottle out of his hand and sat down and began unscrewing the cap. "I knew there was a reason I wanted to marry you," she replied, purposefully popping the cork in his direction. He caught it easily, and tossed it back at her lap. "So what's this April 24th wedding date," she replied, reclining back in her seat with her glass of champagne.

Jasper helped himself to a glass and sat opposite of her, putting his feet on the table. "April 24th was the day I found out I was being assigned to your security detail," he announced. "Which also puts us at an eight and a half month engagement. Which," he took a drink, "is a perfectly acceptable length by Royal standards."

Eleanor smiled over her glass. "Someone's been doing his research, I see."

"Only how many years left to go back, now?"

Her smile widened. "I'm sure someone will be more than happy to tutor you on the history of the British Monarchy, my American fiancé."

"Which isn't going to be you, judging by the look on your face."

Eleanor snorted into her glass. "Do I look like the family historian? No, that was Gran. And she isn't permitted on Palace grounds anymore."

His expression softened as she immediately drained her glass, and rose to her feet. She turned away from him, and reached behind herself, pulled the zipper down her back, pulled the sleeves away from her body, and stepped out of the dress, leaving it in a puddle of white fabric in the middle of her floor.

"Don't stop," he called as she opened the closet door.

Eleanor shook her head as she browsed the racks of dresses, before selecting a half-sleeve silk champagne-coloured dress and pulled it over her head, pulling the necklace over the neckline as it fluttered just above her knees. She fixed her hair in the mirror and reapplied her lipstick, changed her shoes, and exited back into her room to find Jasper lounging in the bed, his brow furrowed as he read something on his cellphone.

" _The Palace confirmed this morning that Her Royal Highness, Princess Eleanor is engaged to Jasper Frost, an MI5 employee, and former member of the Henstridge family's security detail. Mr. Frost is of American descent, and will become known as His Royal Highness, Jasper, Duke of Somerset upon marrying the Princess._ " He announced, not looking up. " _The Palace will release further details on the upcoming royal wedding as they become available_."

"That doesn't sound so bad," she said casually as she refilled her glass and sat in the chair by her vanity, and crossed her legs.

"I _will_ make you call me Your Highness, _Your Highness,_ " he replied, dropping his phone beside him and folded his arms behind his head.

"If two members of royalty cross paths and are of the same level in the sovereign, they can refer to each other on a first name basis, you know."

"So this means that Liam can't suddenly decide he wants to be called _His Majesty_ when he's in a mood," he inquired.

"Liam," she began, taking a drink, "is now unfortunately King and reigning monarch, can do what he pleases. However, I am his twin sister, which fortunately trumps social protocols and I can call him _whatever I please._ "

"Which you will not let him forget," he said pointedly.

Eleanor didn't reply.

* * *

"Please rise for Her Royal Highness, Princess Eleanor, and fiancé, Jasper Frost," the crier announced as they crossed the threshold into the state dining room.

Jasper snorted behind her as a large, self-satisfied smile plastered on her face as several heads turned in their direction.

They were met with several "Congratulations, Your Highness," as they made their way to the head of the table.

"I see you've changed," Liam announced as she settled into her seat.

"I see you haven't," she retorted. "I'm so hungry. _Someone_ ate my breakfast this morning."

"Keep it up and you'll be charged for slander against the crown."

"It's not slander if it's a fact, dear brother."

"Who is now your King."

"It's not slander if it's a fact, _Your Majesty_ ," she quipped, reaching for the bread basket.

Liam's eyes flickered to Jasper, who was watching their banter with an amused expression on his face. "She's your problem now, you realize that?"

"She's her own woman," he replied, easily lifting her recently separated roll out of her fingers and began buttering it for himself.

Eleanor sent him a scathing look and snatched half back, "yes, and you'd do well to remember that," she snapped, taking a bite and leaned back in her seat.

"Lovely day for a coronation," said a familiar voice from behind her. Eleanor's shoulders tensed. "It seems congratulations are in order."

"Hello, Beck," she turned in her seat, resting her arm on the back of her chair as she observed him. While he was still ridiculously good looking, it didn't stir things into like it used to. Nothing had stirred in her for Beck since Monaco, if she was going to be honest with herself. She knew in the back of her head the moment he said he was going to go back to his (now ex) wife, yet again. She knew it when he had shown up at her door all of those months ago, and it had been solidified when he had sent her out into a sea of paparazzi by herself.

It made sense that he would be there for Liam's coronation dinner. He was a hereditary member of the House of Lords, and a close friend of the family's.

"I believe we briefly met on Holden's yacht," Jasper extended his hand before he could reply to her, "Jasper Frost."

"We did?" he arched an eyebrow, shaking his hand tightly.

"Jasper was assigned to Liam's security detail at the time," Eleanor replied.

"Ah. Eleanor's longest lasting bodyguard."

"Yeah. Liam's giving me a medal for it, actually," he said easily. "I've basically worked a miracle, tying her down, and getting her off the drugs, don't you think?"

Eleanor turned back to Liam, who promptly rolled his eyes at her as their mother entered the room.

"You didn't mention him, before, Lenny," he said quietly.

"Things were different, Beck," she replied, not turning around. "This is what I want. He listens to me. Now, off you go, I believe you're seated with the rest of the Lords, are you not? We'll be eating soon now that the Queen has arrived."

He must have picked up the no-nonsense tone in her voice, because he left them alone without another word.

"Yes, I'm sure _he_ was the one that started the original pissing contest," Eleanor continued dryly, referencing back to the conversation they had had about her relationship with Beck back in Las Vegas. Their trip seemed so far away now.

"Have I ever lied to you, Eleanor?"

The scathing look she gave him immediately shut him up as their appetisers were brought out.

"Thank fuck," he muttered under his breath as their salads were placed in front of them, and picked up his fork.

"Language, Mr. Frost," Helena quipped from across the table.

"Honestly, mum," Eleanor griped, spearing her arugula. "He's a member of the family now. You can call him _Jasper_. I am confident you two are well _acquainted_."

"Eleanor," her tone was warning.

She raised her eyebrows as her fork slid between her perfect teeth. "I'm just saying," she continued. "He's been around here for nearly a year."

"Moving on," Jasper said tightly, "after this dinner. What's next on the schedule?"

"The afterparty," Eleanor replied. "Where all of these stuffy old people will leave our house, and we can get drunk off our asses with people that actually matter. It's an exclusive event, invitation only. No cameras, and phones will be seized at the door."

"Extremely exclusive," Liam reiterated. "My last hurrah, if you will."

* * *

"I can't remember the last time that I steadily drank all day," Jasper sighed as she changed into a black, low cut silk dress.

"Mm," she replied distractedly as she took in his appearance; he had finally swapped his suit for a pair of fitted charcoal grey cotton trousers and a white button down, with the top few buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up his forearms. "You get used to it."

"It hasn't been so much of a regular occurrence these past few months. Today was a special occasion," she continued, slinking forward and slowly wrapped her hands around his neck.

"So I've heard," he murmured, resting his hands on her hips, bunching the fabric into his fist. "I can't wait to take this off of you later, babe."

"If you play your cards right, you might get to take it off sooner," she replied, her tone low in his ear. "Maybe I'm bluffing. Who knows? Let's go. Party's in the boathouse. No phones, remember."

He nodded to the table on the opposite side of the room where his mobile sat, turned over, next to hers.

"Let's go then," she announced, pulling his arm to the door. "I _do_ love a good party, Jasper."

They were silent as they crossed the grounds, following the small trail of lights that had been set up across the grounds, leading to the small, manmade lake on the opposite side.

"I don't think I've been this far out into the grounds," Jasper observed as she curled into his side from the slight chill in the air.

"Well, be careful how far you walk out. If you keep going it turns into Kensington Park and that's public access," she explained.

"It's too dark to see anything, anyway. I'm not that concerned."

She shook her head, but offered no further comment.

"With all of this- you're fine with it?" Eleanor inquired as they crossed the small stone bridge. "So much has changed for you, Jasper. You can say you're fine but transitioning into this would be a huge adjustment for anyone."

"It'll take some getting used to," he confirmed. "But honestly, Len, I'm fine. Nothing drastic has happened."

"No, _just_ a coronation," she said sarcastically. "It's _always_ going to be like that."

"If there is another coronation soon, I highly doubt it'll be Liam's. It'll be yours."

"Yes, and god help us all if something befalls him and I become acting Queen."

Jasper snorted. "I'll just be your mysterious little husband who works in MI5. All my work mates from MI5 are going to take the piss out of this, you realize that?"

"I'm more shocked at the fact that you have friends. Since when did you have time to socialize since you started working here?"

"I didn't," he admitted. "But I'm sure they'll be just tickled that I'm back."

"Did you like working there?" She asked carefully.

"It was alright," he said, draping his arm over her shoulder. "Wasn't the ultimate goal, though."

"Little did you know," she said breezily as they turned the corner towards the boathouse. She could hear the loud music thumping in the distance, the lights from the building reflected brightly across the grounds.

"Little did I know," he agreed, nodding to the two security guards manning the doors. He pulled it open for her, and she breezed inside.

"Lenny!" Liam shouted, pulling her into the crowd toward the bar. She turned, and grabbed Jasper's hand, and pulled him along with with her.

"Get me a drink, Liam," she demanded, folding her arms on the makeshift bar that had been set up.

"You serve yourself here," he announced, slamming a glass and a bottle of vodka in front of her.

"I don't think I know what that means," she shouted over the music, and snapped her fingers towards the lime juice and tonic water on the other side of the table. He wordlessly pushed it across the table to her, and she expertly fixed herself a drink. Jasper's arm slid around her waist as Liam pushed a beer into his hand.

"What a goddamn day," Liam clinked his own, half drank ale against his.

"Long live the King, or something," Jasper replied, tipping his beer to him before taking a long drink.

Eleanor drained her glass, and slammed it down on the table and turned to him, her eyebrows raised to him. He locked eyes with her, as he easily drank his own beer until it too, was gone. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the crowd; a small smirk playing on his lips.

They were faceless in the dimly lit room; it was sweaty, and the music was pounding. She had to put her arms around his neck so she wouldn't lose him in the crowd. He pulled her flush against him; she could smell the alcohol on his breath, and the intoxicating scent that was entirely _him_.

They moved with the music, not caring who bumped into them. It was crowded with old friends she had grown up with and known throughout the years, and many from Liam's own close circle that she had run into several times. Somehow, Liam had managed to maintain a small circle of close friends whereas she had not. Friends were disposable. Her friends wanted to borrow her things and then would disappear, never to be heard from again. She had several acquaintances, but she had learned early on to never let anyone in.

She had once considered Ophelia a friend, but her future was now uncertain. Given the current circumstance.

Silently cursing him, Eleanor knew that Jasper had been right several months ago- _she had to let someone in, sometime_. Of course he had found a way to ensure that it was him, and only him.

Eleanor would have to make another friend, sometime, somehow. She didn't want to rely on him for everything. She'd turn mad if she had to. He dished back exactly what she gave him, and vice versa.

She had a very demanding personality, and there were not a lot of people outside of her world who knew how to handle her. There was a reason as to why the public had believed that she was just a self-centred spoiled little brat.

His lips were on her neck, tasting the small beads of sweat that had run down from her hairline.

It had been so long since she and Liam had thrown a small, successful gathering.

Eleanor was determined to pretend that the events from her twenty-second birthday never happened. For now, at least.

He had come back for her, and had done everything in his power to stay there.

 _She_ had not.

Now that Jasper was with her, and the rest of the family was aware of the situation, she technically could have Samantha Cook arrested, and tried for attempted theft against the crown.

A small smirk spread across her lips at the thought as his tongue dipped behind her ear, his hands roughly grasping at her behind.

Her hand roughly grabbed his damp hair, and pulled his face back so she could look at him.

"Want to go back to Las Vegas, real quick?"

* * *

"James!" She shouted, pulling Jasper back into the palace behind her.

"Are you sure you want to do this- if she's told you it's been handled, it's been handled, Eleanor," Jasper said urgently.

"Adding someone to the no-entry registry isn't cutting it for me," she said.

"What brought this on so suddenly? I thought you wanted to let it go."

"Oh, I haven't let it go, trust me," she said scathingly. "I've just been doing some thinking. She's crossed you just as much as she's crossed me. She's the reason we're in this mess, and I think she's earned it, don't you?"

"You're going to throw someone into a prison in a foreign country, you realise this, yes?"

"I do, Jasper." She said, as Mr. Hill rounded the corner.

"You called, Your Highness? Is everything alright?"

"Ms. Cook, you said you had constant surveillance on her, yes?"

He eyed the two of them carefully. "Yes, Your Highness," he said carefully.

"Good. Given Jasper's new position, he will no longer be implicated if I said I wanted her arrested, correct?"

"That is correct, Your Highness."

"Good. Call MI6, and ready the plane. We're taking a little trip."

* * *

"Len, you're drunk," Jasper commented as she sat across from him, four hours later, nursing her third glass of Cognac.

"I'm aware," she snapped, staring out the window. Not that she had anything to look at other than the blinking light on the end of the plane's wing, due to the darkness. "I'm a lot of things, Jasper, if you haven't noticed."

"Mouthy, being one of them."

Her eyes briefly flashed to his, but she bit back her reply. "If I threw every person who has hurt me in jail, Jasper, you would not be in that chair right now."

"I'm aware."

"Good. Then shut up."

* * *

"There's a second plane waiting, correct?" Eleanor confirmed with James as they sat in a limo outside _The Cosmopolitan_.

"That's correct. We've notified the FBI, and they are in full agreement to our terms. They've also been looking to implicate the Cook family for a long time for various offenses."

"And you've confirmed that she's inside, yes?"

"That is correct. You and Mr. Frost will enter, say what you need to say, and then she will promptly be arrested."

"You will let me do the talking, for both of us. Or you can wait in the car," she turned to Jasper, placing her hand on his knee, and squeezed it lightly.

"Are you nuts? I'm not letting you go in there alone!"

"There are three agents from the Scotland Yard, plus fifteen more from the FBI, I'll be fine," she explained, touching his face. "I'm tired, I'm in another country, and I'd like to get this over as quickly as possible so I can sleep off the hangover that's brewing on the plane home."

He took a deep breath. "If that's what you want."

She nodded, and he captured her lips in a brief kiss. Eleanor pulled his suit jacket over her bare shoulders, and effortlessly slid out of the vehicle. Jasper got out behind her, placed his hand on the small of her back, and led her inside the hotel without another word.

Everything was modern, sleek, and black. Under any other circumstances, she would have considered it a nice place, and somewhere she could have seen herself taking up an extended residency.

"Your Highness," a man in a dark suit approached her, and nodded. "I'm Agent Mark Saunders with the Organised Crime unit from the FBI."

"Pleasure," she clipped. "Shall we?"

"Follow me."

"I'll wait out here, baby," he said, once they halted outside a set of double doors to a meeting room. "I don't have anything to say to her. You do what you need to do."

"If you're sure," she confirmed.

"I'll be right here," he reiterated.

"Whenever you're ready, Your Highness," Agent Saunders piped up as the two men from the Scotland Yard that had flown in with them flanked her.

She squared her shoulders and nodded. They reached forward, and opened the doors.

"What the hell is going on here-" Samantha snapped as she turned away from the window, but froze when she saw who was standing in the doorway.

"Here is a quick lesson in etiquette, since it clearly isn't taught in this godforsaken country," Eleanor began heatedly as the doors closed behind her. The two men flanked the door, watching the scene unfold before them intently. "I speak first, I sit first, and you _bow_ in my presence. And you certainly do not steal from the Crown Princess of Great Britain."

"What are you doing here-"

Eleanor raised her eyebrows, and ignored her question. "For hundreds of years, people have tried to steal the Crown Jewels. In 1671, Thomas Blood nearly succeeded. See, in those days, all you needed to do was bribe the custodian and you'd be able to _touch_ them, and even _wear_ them. He tried to sneak King Edward's crown out from under his cloak," she explained tonelessly, running her fingers along the boardroom table. "He too, got cocky and underestimated the powers of those he tried to rob. The Koh-i-Noor is said to be cursed, and those who wear it often fall under misfortune. Superstitious, yes, but that's why it's kept in a protected case. That's why nobody wears it. Do you know when the last time someone was tried for high treason against the British Crown?"

Samantha shook her blonde head. Eleanor could see the fear in her eyes, and she almost felt bad for her. _Almost_.

"1945. William Joyce, an _American_ -born propagandist for the Nazi Party. Rules have changed since then, and we don't hang people anymore. Just imprison them for life. And we seem to be doing a lot of that lately, if you've been paying attention to the news."

Eleanor turned away then, and exhaled as she walked back toward the doors. "Being a princess isn't an excuse. It's just a silly title. I'm not a heartless person, but I am when it comes to people like you who think it's a reason to take advantage of me. And of my family. Now, off you go." The two men moved away from the door, flashed their badges, and one of them removed a set of handcuffs as Eleanor pulled them open and stepped into the hall.

Jasper stepped forward out of the shadows, and placed his arm around her, watching as his former flame and partner was cuffed. Agent Saunders went in, flanked by two more agents. Eleanor straightened against him, and his grip on her shoulder tightened as she was led out of the room.

"Let's go home," he said tightly.

* * *

They had locked themselves in the small bedroom in the back for the duration of the flight. Eleanor had knocked back two glasses of whiskey before takeoff. Jasper drank four. She could practically see the wheels turning in his head, and she had asked him twice what the hell he was thinking, but he had brushed her off. She decided to sleep instead.

Jasper Frost had his own demons to conquer. It had been a harsh reality check to see Samantha Cook being led away in handcuffs. One wrong step, and it very well could have been him. If Eleanor was the heartless bitch that he thought she was, he'd still be behind bars from the time she had him arrested following the death of King Simon.

Instead, it was him who was spooning the sleeping Princess as they flew across the Atlantic.

If someone had told him a year ago that this is what his life would be, he would have laughed. He had expected to be retired in a villa in Panama from the payoff from the diamond heist, not paying the Princess in question a second thought. All she was supposed to be was a pawn. She wasn't supposed to be good. Or broken.

"Jasper, if you don't tell me what the hell is going on," she mumbled, her small hands gripping the pillow as she worked her way out of her sleep-filled haze.

"Just thinking," he murmured into her hair.

She waved her hand, signalling for him to continue.

"You weren't supposed to be nice," he continued.

She scoffed. "I'm hardly nice, Jasper."

He pressed his lips together and bit back his reply. "Do you know how easily that could have been me tonight?"

"I don't make a habit of having my ex's arrested," she replied, threading their fingers together against her stomach. "If my mother had found out, it would have been a lot more dramatic. Trust me. If it were Liam-"

"I know," he interjected, rolling onto his back and folded his hands behind his head. "Still. I was going to take the money, and just go."

"And do what?" She asked, sitting up and leaned back against the wall of the plane, throwing her legs over his.

"Dunno," he admitted. "I was just going to wing it until I found something I liked."

"Well, you like me, guns, and getting involved in situations where you don't belong. So ...politics?"

He shot her a dirty look. "Or, helping kids get out of unfortunate, shit circumstances like I was in. They shouldn't have to become their parents if they don't want to."

A small, genuine smile ghosted across her lips. "You could do that now, you know. You would work with me on the transition initiative and that could be a component."

"We'll see," he mused, reaching for her arm and pulled her back down onto the bed next to him.

Eleanor settled herself into the crook of his arm, but said no more. She could tell that he was still spooked from the day's events. Dark circles were beginning to form under his eyes, and she likely did not look any better. Neither of them had gotten much sleep in the past twenty-four hours.

Now that Liam had finally been crowned King, she was so sure that things were going to return to normal. Or as normal as things could possibly be, given their circumstances. She missed having a routine. She had several things to look forward to, and others not so much; like Ted's trial. They had been promised that things would be swift. Ted had confessed and had been cooperative.

They had yet to track down Jeffrey and Dominique Stewart. But that was Liam's project, not hers. She preferred to stay as far away from their shady dealings as humanly possible. She and Liam wanted to bring a new meaning to the family business.

The monarchy had reached it's own turning point.


	15. Epilogue

A/N: Again, **THANK YOU** for reading. I'm seriously floored by the response this story has gotten. I didn't expect anything of it at all- I read every single one of your reviews and they mean so much to me. We still have a long road ahead of us until season 3 premieres, and I'm super glad we have this community to share ideas and alternate situations for our favourite characters to keep us entertained in the meantime.

You haven't seen the last of me yet!

* * *

 **1.5 Years Later**

* * *

Two weeks before her wedding, Eleanor learned that she was pregnant. She had been brought to a small fashion house for her final fitting for her wedding gown, and the damn thing wouldn't zip up. It didn't fit right around her midsection. Naturally, she had cursed out everyone, including the designer, for their incompetence. She was as thin as a twig; how could she have not noticed her stomach protruding ever so slightly? When was the last time she had a period, anyway?

No one wanted to be the one to tell Princess Eleanor that her wedding dress had to be let out.

Of course she had nobody to call. She sure as hell wasn't going to call Jasper at work, and she wasn't going to get Liam involved. He had enough on his plate, and he was out of the country until the end of the week. The last thing she wanted him to be doing was worrying about the fact that his twin sister had gone and gotten herself knocked up.

That left her mother.

And Helena was not impressed, for a number of reasons.

First, it was so close to her wedding, and she was concerned about the photos.

Second, it would be painfully obvious that when said possible-child was born, it was conceived prior to the wedding. Eleanor had snorted; the whole country knew she was anything but virginal. There was a reason why she had gone with an off-white wedding gown.

Thirdly, Helena did not think she herself old enough to be a grandmother.

Eleanor was unimpressed because she had to cut several vices out of her life at once, which left her extremely moody and snappy. She blamed her short temper on wedding-related stress.

She had gone to see Doctor Cohen alone. He did a blood test, and calculated her last menstrual cycle. In one last ditch attempt to humour herself, she had said she had missed two periods from the stress of her upcoming nuptials. She attributed her weight gain to overeating.

Doctor Cohen, not one to take lip from her, informed Her Royal Highness, Princess Eleanor, that while yes, she may very well be stressed from planning her wedding, but the reason her period hadn't shown up in nearly three months was because she was two and a half months pregnant.

She was going to be someone's parent in seven and a half months.

Jasper was going to be someone's parent in seven and a half months, and he had no clue.

There was something growing inside of her.

There was _someone_ inside of her.

The thought alone was enough to make her squeamish. She was not the mothering type. Or at least, she assumed she wasn't. All she knew what that she didn't want her baby to grow up with a cow of a mother and a father who set his expectations a little too high.

All she had to do was tell him.

* * *

He had stared at her, slack jawed.

"What?" He repeated. "Did you just say-"

"That we're having a baby? In October," she said irritably, pulling up her shirt and stood sideways. "How did you not see this? I'm huge!"

Jasper snorted, his blue eyes focused on her barely protruding stomach. She looked more bloated than pregnant. "You're sure that's not a food baby in there? I heard you went to _The Ivy_ for lunch and had pasta."

"No, it's a human baby. From _your dick_ ," she said rudely, roughly pulling her jumper back down. "I went to see Doctor Cohen today. _Because they have to let my dress out, Jasper_! How could you do this to me? Why couldn't you fucking wait-"

"Why weren't you taking anything?! Don't put this all on me!"

"I get the needle! It's not my fault your sperm is just as thick headed as you are!"

"Oh yeah? When was the last time you had an injection?"

Shit.

Shit. Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Curtesy of the hell that had been her life for the past several months, getting a Depo shot had been the furthest thing from her mind. Eleanor shut her mouth. Jasper, while shocked at this new piece of information, drew her into his arms and stared down at her smugly.

 _Shit_.

* * *

A month after their wedding, and their return from their honeymoon in Monaco, it was confirmed that they were expecting a son. They decided not to tell anyone that particular piece of news.

Instead, they confirmed through palace channels that the Duke and Duchess of Somerset were expecting a child later in the year.

* * *

" _I'll cut your goddamn dick off with that scalpel, Jasper, I swear_ -" she screeched.

"Push, Eleanor," he said through gritted teeth as she painfully gripped his hand. He was sure she was going to draw blood with her nails. "Come near me with that thing, _I'll gladly sew your goddamn mouth shut with the stitches that are meant for your vagina_."

Doctor Cohen smirked from his spot between her legs. It was about time someone had dished it back to her.

" _You have such a goddamn big head- no wonder-"_

"Push, Your Highness. He's almost out," Doctor Cohen interjected.

A harsh, strangled, disembodied scream filled the air as she pushed with every fibre of her being. _Nothing_ was this painful. She never wanted to endure it again. She'd make damn sure that he'd never touch her again, too.

Her pregnancy had been long, and difficult. Eleanor was not a well-built woman, and the baby weighed heavily on her body. Her back hurt and she couldn't stay on her feet for long. She complained constantly, and the closer she got to her due date, the more and more self-conscious she became about her figure and rarely left the palace. Everyone told her pregnancy suited her. She had other ideas.

Jasper had gone on leave from his job with Military Intelligence to be home with her, and help prepare the room next to theirs for their new son.

He had been determined to do everything himself, without any outside help. He too, had goals.

Jasper Frost would rather be dead than be half the man his father was to him.

Eleanor suddenly let go of his hand, and collapsed into her pillows, her chest heaving, as a brand new, different cry filled the dimly lit palace room.

His eyes found hers in that moment, and they knew then that their lives had reached a new impasse. A new turning point.

* * *

The birth of His Royal Highness, Prince Robert Simon Henstridge-Frost was announced the following evening.

Eleanor was fiercely protective of her new son, and snapped at anyone who tried to take a photograph of him.

" _He's just a baby! He can't even focus his eyes yet!"_ she had snapped at Liam, who had wanted to send a photo to Ophelia, who was currently travelling with the Royal Ballet in Russia. "He'll still be here when she gets home!"

It had taken Jasper three weeks following the birth of their son to convince her that they needed to show the public what their new Prince looked like.

"He's not ugly, Len. I don't see what the big deal is," he said, holding him against his chest as she rooted around in his closet for a new onesie. Jasper wasn't lying; their son was a perfect carbon copy of himself, but with her green eyes.

The sight of him holding that baby did things to her; she almost considered breaking her birth-bed promise to herself not to allow him to touch her.

"Fine," she relented, holding out her hands to take Robert back. "Of course he's cute. I mean, look at me."

" _Look at you?_ Look at me! That's clearly _my_ baby!"

Eleanor rolled her eyes as she quickly changed his nappy, half considering throwing it at her son's father to shut him up. She knew he was right; she couldn't keep him shielded away forever.

But she damn well could try.

Two weeks later, their official family portrait had been released. They had posed in one of the more simpler state rooms in the palace. They sat on the sofa, looking at their sleeping son who was lounging comfortably in his mother's arms.

She had dressed casually in a pair of tight black pants, white blouse, and black Louboutin boots. He had worn dark jeans and a white t-shirt. They had dressed Robert in a soft Burberry jumper, trousers, and booties.

Nothing about them screamed royalty, and they didn't want it to.

It didn't need to.

It screamed _them_ , and that was all that mattered.


End file.
